Loyal or Perfect or Whole Hearts
Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a loyal heart. (2 Chronicles 25:1-2 NKJV)
Have to vs Get to
Many of us do what we are asked to do, but we really don’t want to do it. Parents are obeyed grudgingly. We do what our employers ask us to do but wish we could find another job. In every respect we are outwardly what we ought to be but inwardly our hearts are not perfect or loyal or whole. Our verse for today caught my attention when I read it in the NASB where it said that Amaziah did right in the sight of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart. Then I asked myself, am I doing what the Lord has asked me to do in His instruction manual called the Bible, and am I doing it gladly, with a whole heart? Or am I doing it because I feel that I have to do it?
Your Truth vs My Truth
Today it seems to me that we are redesigning the Bible to make it reflect what we would like God to be like, rather than having it reflect Who He really is. If we don’t like what the Bible says about the new birth or about salvation, or about baptism, or about eternal conscious punishment or about headship or about separation from the world, we just ignore the new testament explanations of those truths. When we hear prominent people say that “your truth may not be my truth” we tend to buy that lie “hook, line and sinker.” It might be sensible to say that my understanding of the truth may be different than your understanding of the truth, but truth is truth. Truth doesn’t change because I don’t like it. Truth is based on observable or verifiable facts and reflects reality. And even when we say that our understanding of the truth may be different, it is obvious that if truth is truth, and it is, then we can all be wrong in our understanding of the truth, but we cannot all be right if we disagree. A proper understanding of the truth should bring us into agreement. It should not cause us to come to varying conclusions. It should cause us to be of one mind and of a whole heart in our service for the Lord.
The Need to be Admonished about Whole-heartedness
We must need to be reminded of the blessing that comes from having a loyal or perfect or whole heart after we are saved because Paul admonishes us about this need in a number of places. For example, he writes:
For Christian slaves (this likely would be a principle for Christina employees today), “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men (Colossians 3:23 NKJV).”
For Church elders: “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly (1 Peter 5:2 NKJV).”
For those giving of their resources: “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV).”
A truly born-again person who is indwelled by the Holy Spirit, should have the desire to know and understand the truth. The first thing Paul said on the Damascus road after he met the Lord was, “Lord what do you want me to do?” He wasn’t given the full answer right away, but he was given the answer and he did what the Lord wanted him to do with a whole or perfect or loyal heart. That is why, in his last letter, just before his execution, he could say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV).” Will that be true of me?
What will Keep us Loyal or Perfect or Wholehearted?
Obviously, we need to be constantly reminded of what we were saved from and what we are saved for. We need to remember the cost of our salvation and the depths of God’s love for us. If the Lord was willing to die for us so we could righteously have a place in heaven, we should want to live for Him during our little sojourn down here on earth. Instead of saying, “Do I have to?” when confronted with Biblical instructions we should be asking, “What am I privileged to do for the One who did so much for me?”
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of June 9, 2019