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A Whole Hearted Life
“Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise His Holy Name.” Psalm 103:1 NLT
If we’re praising with our whole heart, then we hold nothing back from Him.
Whenever I think of whole heart, I remember Caleb. Caleb was one of two who gave a good report, the other being Joshua. Caleb wasn’t the military leader of the Children of Israel like Joshua. But he loved the Lord wholeheartedly.
“But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” Numbers 14:24 NIV
Numbers 14:24 shows the result of a whole heart life.
Point to ponder while you wander…
Praise isn’t just singing songs. We can praise with our lives too. Our gifts, talents, and strengths were given to us by God to steward, grow, and use to impact those around us. When we do, it honors the One who gave them to us.
Becoming a Whole Me
I spent a lot of my life trying to behave perfectly to earn the approval and acceptance of God. Then for a few years, trying not to be smited because I had full scale run amok.
Truth is God loved me the whole time. He saw me. The real me. He knew the truth. He knew the lies I had been believing about myself and about Him. His heart broke for me.
I am clearly not fully living life to the fullest yet…but in reading Your God Is Too Safe today, I was reminded me how far I’ve come, and just how grateful I am for my relationship with Him. ❤ I continue daily to be in awe…
“Holiness is not a bid to be noticed or loved or accepted by God. Holiness, rather, is acting out and acting upon the truth that God has noticed, loved, and accepted us long before we did anything to warrant that. It’s a discovery that we’re alive when we thought we were, and ought to be, dead. Holiness is simply living into and out that aliveness.” -Mark Buchanan (Your God Is Too Safe)
This whole book is hitting me where I live because I like my safe world with Jesus. I love it being me & Him.
But Jesus didn’t heal me so I could sit here be safe and hidden forever. For a season or two yes, but not forever. He healed me so I could live my life fully! Abundantly! He is the God of bigger than I can ask or even think.
He tells me repeatedly two things…
“You think too small.”
“Be open.”
Those two things are super scary…because I am very aware of just how BIG my God really is. I know what He is capable of doing with His kids…
Turning a shepherd into a king. (David)
Turning a barren old woman into the mother of a nation. (Sarah)
Turning a stutterer into spokesman who literally walked his people out of slavery. (Moses)
Turning an introverted girl into an outspoken Queen who risked her life to protect her people. (Esther)
Turning some guy from the sticks in a defeated country into a mighty warrior. (Gideon)
Turning an unknown wife living in a tent in the desert into a war heroine. (Ja’el)
“For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. ” 1 Corinthians 4:7 MSG
I believe that there’s potential in everyone to do amazing things. I can see the gold in people…even myself. I believe that the people above were born with everything they needed to fulfill the destiny they were born for!
Just like us, life kicked these folks down, and the world disappointed them. They were told no. The enemy lied to them. Maybe they believed it…maybe they didn’t.
But there came a point when these regular people stepped out of the safety of their little lives..and believed God. They chose to parner with Him.
As a result…a king, a mother, a deliverer, a queen, a warrior, and a heroine stepped out of the shadows and changed their world.
Knowing all this…I cannot help but wonder what will He do with me? And you?
You may not be a king…but maybe you’re a community leader, a state representative, or a mayor in the making.
You may not give birth to a nation…but maybe you’re one who empowers kids as a teacher, a mentor, or a foster parent.
You may be called to fight modern day slavery or sex trafficking.
Maybe you’re be introverted and shy…but you still have a voice!
Maybe you are designed to be a military leader or a police officer.
Maybe you are designed to raise a family and invest in those little people who will one day lead.
Whatever it is you’re designed for, walk in it! Live fully! That’s what freedom is. It’s why Jesus was resurrected!
Point to ponder while you wander… Freedom isn’t running amok and doing whatever you want whenever the mood strikes. It’s being able to be the whole you. Healed. Healthy. Real. It’s stepping out of the shadows and becoming who you were designed to be.
“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NLT
Whole Hearted
I had a dream last night that God called me into His office and I’m sitting across the desk from Him and He starts talking me about how He does not need entertainment therefore we do not need to put on a show or perform flawlessly. What He wants….longs for…desires…is for people to seek Him wholeheartedly. The wholeheartedly part matters.
Jeremiah 29:11-14 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”
Everyone focusus on verse 11. God has a plan for me! God has a future for me! That’s great and true, because He absolutely does! BUT don’t forget the context. Don’t miss the seeking God wholeheartedly part. The plan and the purpose are God’s part. It’s also God’s part to listen to you, deliver you and restore you. What’s your part? Your part is to seek Him wholeheartedly.
Do you know what will be possible for you if you are wholeheartedly His????
Look at the life of Caleb. He did amazing feats even in his 80’s simply because He believed God with his whole heart. Most people remember Joshua because he was the leader after Moses and has his own book in the Bible. But Caleb is my favorite! He stood with Joshua against the rest of the Israelites. He was one of 2 people who left Egypt as an adult that made it into the Promised Land. ONE OF TWO! All because he believed God wholeheartedly. He never waivered. His attitude was “God said it and that’s all I need to know.”
Caleb’s story reminds me that it doesn’t matter what I can or cannot do. What matters is what I believe and who I belong to.
Check out: Numbers 14:24, Numbers 32:12 and Deuteronomy 1:36 for the evidence of Caleb’s whole heart approach to serving God.
PS: Caleb comes from Col-all or whole and Lev-heart. His name actually means whole heart. Love it!!
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