Undivided Heart

Integrity.  Wholeness.  Peace.  Unity.  Hmmm...what does Jesus have to teach us about these?

Prayer

Like 63 voracious pirhanas, the world comes nibling furiously at us, wanting to take our hearts, minds, souls, and strength.  Advertisers clamor for our attention, time, and money.  Bosses squeeze us for productivity like toothpaste , and our entertainment options lure us into worshiping them with our time.  Give us strength, dear Jesus, to stay focused on You and Your peaceful Kingdom way of life in the midst of cymbal crashing world!  Amen.

Matthew 6

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The question always comes up.  The CSI team stands around the crime scene, weapon clearly identified, the chalk outline of a body on the ground near gruesome stains, and someone asks, "We've got the method, but what's the motive?"  This is a great question, not just for solving crimes, but for those who desire to follow Jesus into eternal life. 

What is our motive?  Why do we do what we do?  Does it count in God's eyes if we do the right thing for the wrong reasons?  Is God interested in our reasons?  Read Matthew 6 and we get a resounding "YES!"  According to Jesus, we can pray, share, serve, fast, and work for all of the wrong reasons and miss out on the Kingdom way of life God intends for us to have. 

In my mind, all of chapter 6 is about asking "How completely devoted are our lives to the love of God?"  If we are going to worship, giving our time and money to church functions, even to helping the poor, so that other people might think highly of us, then we aren't pleasing our Heavenly Father.  We are still devoted primarily to ourselves and to building an image of ourselves that other people might worship.  We are not wholeheartedly focused on honoring God in our worship, prayer, work, sleeping, eating, husbanding, childrearing, playing, etc. 

The alternative life, filled with the rich provision and abundance of God is a life whose one desire, one aim, one purpose is to love and honor God above all else in its every aspect.  When our lives are purely devoted to God in this manner, we become people of integrity, wholeness, and peace, because every part of our lives is brought into order by the one supreme purpose of our lives, the worship and love of God.

That Jesus invites us to lives of wholeness, peace, and integrity is great news, for one of the terrible symptoms of living in this age is how divided our hearts are, leaving us confused about our priorities and unclear about our purpose.  His power alone can knit us together.  Let's call upon him for help that we might be saved!

Prayer

"Save us from the many things that might distract us.  Please take them away and purify our hearts.  We don't want to lose the eternal for the things that are passing (One Thing, Rich Mullins)."  Lord Jesus Christ, we worship you above all other things and through the proper use of all others things today.  You are the Lord of our time, our work, our relationships, our money and things.  We offer it all to Your use and disposal.  May Your Kingdom come!  In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen!

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