Luke 16:13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. 15 Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.
Watered-down allegiance is a dangerous thing. To say "I give you all my life and all my heart" is a huge statement when giving it to the God of the universe. God understands who he is working with here and yet He still loves us. This part of the love of God is almost so far beyond our understanding that we don't even try to understand it. We say we give our all, but yet we hold back and God continues to allow us to be used by HIm. Jesus really draws a thin line in the above verse when He says No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other? This a defining moment in time and a defining word for all who follow Jesus.
And still, we use these Power Words like all, nothing, never, always, etc. Jesus said this in Matthew 12:33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”
Our words are important and saying a Power Word to prove our faith, or make ourselves feel better is not enough to show our commitment to our master. We are seen by our fruit, or what comes from our lives. Our lives should be louder than our words and that will show what is at the root of who we are and what we truly believe. It is no surprise that Jesus also speaks to this subject of being truly sold out in Matthew, just before the above verses. Even though He uses different words, it is the same message, and here is the verse in Matthew 12:30 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. There is no middle ground when serving Jesus.
But still, at times we try to justify giving leftovers in service to our Lord. We have a weakened faith because of this lack of pure commitment. Many churches have fallen into this attitude about serving and, like many restaurants, we cannot find enough workers to keep doing the work of the Lord. So people do not get fed and then they become disillusioned and quit, thus the "falling away" of many from the local church. Remember, we are "on mission" and our mission has requirements to make it succeed. One of the
base level requirements for success is for us to be devoted to the work of the Lord.
When choosing a king Samuel was shown by God that the shepherd boy David was to fill that role. Samuel's impression of who should be anointed to be King was Eliab because of his stature, but the Lord said this to him in 1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” To give your all is a 'heart' commitment and that commitment is important and very powerful. In fact, we are called to "guard our hearts" because the well-spring of life itself is stored there. In Proverbs 4:23 the writer says 23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
To give your ALL means something, so don't say it lightly, and don't fall away from this important decision to serve Jesus. Give Him your ALL and see just what He will do with your life. The powerful word ALL is still possible, but it is a heart commitment and is only made right through the empowering of the Holy Spirit. With us it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Live in the possibility of serving Jesus with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. IT IS POSSIBLE if you will love God first. All is really all if God is your all in all.
The Pilgrimage Continues....
David Warren