{"id":3421,"date":"2015-08-22T00:20:27","date_gmt":"2015-08-22T07:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/?p=3421"},"modified":"2015-08-22T05:23:17","modified_gmt":"2015-08-22T12:23:17","slug":"822-wholehearted-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/2015\/08\/22\/822-wholehearted-living\/","title":{"rendered":"8\/22: Wholehearted Living (\u8bd7102:1-11 \u6797\u524d15:1-34 \u4ee3\u4e0b16:1-18:27)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>\u8bfb\u7ecf\uff1a\u8bd7102:1-11 \u6797\u524d15:1-34 \u4ee3\u4e0b16:1-18:27<\/h2>\n<h2>Wholehearted Living<\/h2>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<p>I remember it as if it were yesterday. I got up out of my seat and went forward. It was 1974. I had only been a Christian for a few months. The message I responded to was to be fully, wholeheartedly committed to the Lord and to follow him with all my heart \u2013 wherever that might take me.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, I have had my ups and downs since then, and my fair share of failures. All of us are far from perfect. I still do things that I wish I did not do. But I have been determined to try and follow the Lord with all my heart and be fully committed to him.<\/p>\n<p>To be \u2018fully committed\u2019 with \u2018all your heart\u2019 means 100% commitment. It means seeking to do what the Lord calls you to do. It means rooting out anything that is bad \u2013 ruthlessly tearing down the high places and getting rid of the other gods in the midst of life.<\/p>\n<p>The Lord is looking for those whose \u2018hearts are <em>fully committed<\/em>\u2019 to him (2 Chronicles 16:9). The psalmist prayed, \u2018Give me an undivided heart\u2019 (Psalm 86:11). The expression \u2018<em>all your heart<\/em>\u2019 appears many times throughout the Bible. For example, you are to do the following things \u2018<em>with all your heart<\/em>\u2019:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Love <\/em>the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4\u20135; Matthew 22:36\u201338)<\/li>\n<li><em>Trust in<\/em> the Lord (Proverbs 3:5)<\/li>\n<li><em>Obey <\/em>the Lord (Psalm 119:34,69; 1 Chronicles 29:19)<\/li>\n<li><em>Praise <\/em>the Lord (Psalm 111:1; 138:1)<\/li>\n<li><em>Rejoice <\/em>(Zephaniah 3:14)<\/li>\n<li><em>Work for<\/em> the Lord (Nehemiah 4:6; Colossians 3:23).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is how to enjoy life and life in all its fullness (John 10:10). It\u2019s a life of love, trust, gratitude, joy and meaningful work. In the passages for today we see why and how we should live wholeheartedly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<h2>1. Brevity of life<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"inline-reading\" href=\"http:\/\/classic.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Psalm%20102:1-11&amp;version=NIV&amp;interface=print\" target=\"_blank\">Psalm 102:1-11<\/a>The psalmist is aware of how short life is: \u2018For my days<em> vanish like smoke<\/em>\u2019 (v.3a), \u2018My days are<em>like the evening shadow<\/em>; I <em>wither away like grass\u2019 <\/em>(v.11). He has this sense that time is running out. Life on this earth is so short. Make the most of every day.<\/p>\n<p>The psalmist is suffering (possibly in exile). He cries out, \u2018Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry of help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly\u2019 (vv.1\u20132).<\/p>\n<p>This is a striking example of wholehearted commitment to God even in the midst of distress. The psalmist chooses to turn to God. He knows that God is eternal (v.12), and that he can be trusted.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Lord, I thank you that while my life is \u2018like the evening shadow\u2019, you are eternal and I can trust you. I lift my problems before you now\u2026 Hear my prayer, Lord, let my cry for help come to you.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<h2>2. Certainty of resurrection<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"inline-reading\" href=\"http:\/\/classic.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=1%20Corinthians%2015:1-34&amp;version=NIV&amp;interface=print\" target=\"_blank\">1 Corinthians 15:1-34<\/a>Paul tells us what was at the heart of his preaching, and why he followed Jesus so wholeheartedly: \u2018The <em>gospel <\/em>I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand\u2019 (v.1). This is the <em>gospel <\/em>whereby they are saved <em>if <\/em>they hold firmly to it.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The message<br \/>\nIt is a very simple message, \u2018that Christ <em>died for our sins<\/em> according to the Scriptures, that he<em> was buried<\/em>, that he <em>was raised<\/em> on the third day <em>according to the Scriptures<\/em>\u2019 (vv.3\u20134).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">His death had a great purpose. It was \u2018<em>for our sins<\/em>\u2019. The power of sin is broken. Sins can be forgiven.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">While sin\u2019s power is broken, its presence remains in our lives. But one day, even the presence of sin will be removed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">You can be sure of this because of the resurrection. This is the certainty of your hope for the future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Jesus died and was buried. One day you will die and be buried. Jesus was raised from the dead. One day you will also be raised.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The evidence<br \/>\nFor Paul, the resurrection is a sign in this world of the future God has in store. He spoke of the future in light of what God had done: \u2018He has given <em>proof <\/em>of this to everyone by raising him from the dead\u2019 (Acts 17:31). Faith is not irrational. Paul\u2019s faith is grounded on the event of the resurrection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Paul gives some of the evidence for the resurrection. First, he highlights that Jesus was \u2018<em>buried<\/em>\u2019 and \u2018<em>raised according to the Scriptures<\/em>\u2019. Jesus\u2019 life, death and resurrection were written about before he was born.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Second, he points to Christ\u2019s <em>appearances <\/em>to Peter, to the twelve, to 500 others, to James, all the apostles, and finally, to Paul himself (1 Corinthians 15:6\u20138).<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">This is not an exhaustive list of the appearances \u2013 but enough to show it is well attested. He shows that the resurrection is rooted in history, grounded in Scripture and confirmed by experience.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The importance<br \/>\nThe resurrection really matters. If there is no resurrection, the consequences are dire. The resurrection was the basis of Paul\u2019s preaching. Without it \u2018everything we\u2019ve told you is smoke and mirrors\u2026 a string of barefaced lies\u2019 (vv.14a\u201315, MSG). Since that was what they based their faith on, without the resurrection \u2018your faith is futile\u2019 and \u2018you are still in your sins\u2019 (v.17). There would be no hope for the future, \u2018those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost\u2019 (v.18). In fact, Paul concludes that without it Christianity is worse than nothing: \u2018If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all people\u2019 (v.19).<\/li>\n<li>The result<br \/>\n\u2018But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries\u2019 (v.20, MSG). Therefore the <em>resurrection is certain<\/em>. One day all those who are \u2018in Christ\u2019 <em>will be raised from the dead<\/em>. Then <em>death will be destroyed<\/em>(v.26). \u2018God\u2019s rule is absolutely comprehensive \u2013 a perfect ending!\u2019 (v.28, MSG).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Because the resurrection is certain, Paul writes, we endanger ourselves every hour (v.30): \u2018I die every day\u2019 (v.31). He is 100%, wholeheartedly fully committed to the Lord. He even fought wild beasts in Ephesus (v.32). He was willing to risk his life because of the certainty of the resurrection.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">This is the reason why Paul urges us to \u2018stop sinning\u2019 (v.34). Satan\u2019s tactics often start with doubt. If he can make us doubt, then next he will tempt us to sin. In one sense, all sin stems from unbelief.<\/p>\n<p>The message of Jesus, his death and resurrection, is good news. It is the gospel. You are to receive it and believe it. You are to take your stand on it. You are to hold it firmly. Like Paul, pass it on to others.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Father, thank you that Jesus died for my sins and you raised him from the dead so that I could be totally forgiven, set free and, one day, be raised with Christ. Help me, like Paul, to be wholeheartedly committed to passing this message on as of \u2018first importance\u2019.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<h2>3. Eyes of the Lord<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"inline-reading\" href=\"http:\/\/classic.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=2%20Chronicles%2016:1-18:27&amp;version=NIV&amp;interface=print\" target=\"_blank\">2 Chronicles 16:1-18:27<\/a>\u2018God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are<em> totally committed to him<\/em>\u2019 (16:9, MSG).<\/p>\n<p>Hanani the seer came to Asa, King of Judah, and said to him that he was in trouble because he had ceased to <em>rely fully<\/em> on the Lord (vv.7\u20139). \u2018For\u2019, he says, \u2018<em>the eyes of the Lord<\/em> range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are <em>fully committed <\/em>to him\u2019 (v.9).<\/p>\n<p>God sees everything you do. He is looking for those whose \u2018<em>hearts<\/em>\u2019 are \u2018<em>fully committed<\/em>\u2019 to him. The \u2018eyes of the Lord\u2019 see into your heart. Are you living wholeheartedly for him?<\/p>\n<p>Asa, who had done so well for most of his life, in the last years \u2018even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord but only from the physicians\u2019 (v.12). He is not criticised for seeking help from the physicians. He is criticised for not seeking help from the Lord.<\/p>\n<p>His son, Jehoshaphat\u2019s, \u2018heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord\u2019 (17:6). Again he started very well. \u2018He didn\u2019t fool around&#8230; he was a seeker and follower of the God of his father and was obedient to him&#8230; He was single-minded in following God; and he got rid of the local sex-and-religion shrines\u2019 (vv.3\u20136, MSG).<\/p>\n<p>He was tested by the fact that 400 prophets all had a \u2018lying spirit\u2019 (18:21). Only Micaiah, son of Imlah, told the truth. The devil is a deceiver. In an age when there is no shortage of voices to hear, we need the discernment of God not to be fooled by deception but to listen carefully to those who, like Micaiah, say, \u2018As sure as God lives, what God says, I\u2019ll say\u2019 (v.13, MSG).<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Lord, I thank you that your eyes \u2018range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed\u2019 to you (16:9). Please, strengthen me as I recommit myself to serve you wholeheartedly.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"bioy-body\">Pippa Adds<\/h2>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<p><strong>2 Chronicles 16:7<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Even godly leaders can become self-reliant, or reliant on the wrong things, or the wrong people. However difficult, we need to be open to correction and stay dependent on God.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>\u8bfb\u7ecf\uff1a\u8bd7102:1-11 \u6797\u524d15:1-34 \u4ee3\u4e0b16:1-18:27 <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/2015\/08\/22\/822-wholehearted-living\/\" title=\"8\/22: Wholehearted Living (\u8bd7102:1-11 \u6797\u524d15:1-34 \u4ee3\u4e0b16:1-18:27)\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bibleinoneyear"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3421"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3422,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3421\/revisions\/3422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}