Whole Heart

Matthew 7:21-23 KJV

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

These scriptures grip my heart.

You see, for years, I was one of those people to whom God would have spoken verse 23.

I was raised in the church, knew much about God and Jesus, but I followed Him on my own terms. I had created my own version of Christianity. I did some of what He called me to do, but not all.

God wants our whole heart. He sees obedience to Him as evidence of our faithfulness. When we pick and choose how to follow Him, we are saying He doesn't have our whole hearts. Following Him completely is a sign, a fruit, of true discipleship.

I'm not saying I perfectly follow Him now, but it is my desire to do so. Jesus grabbed my ehart when I was in college and showed me how wrong I was. Since then, it has been my desire to know Him and His will and to follow it.