Jump Start # 1113

1 Kings 15:14 “But the high places were not taken away; nevertheless the heart of Asa was wholly devoted to the Lord all his days.”

  Asa was one of the kings of Judah. He was one of the good guys. He was the great-grandson of Solomon. His father, Abijam and his grandfather, Rehoboam, were unfaithful to God and led the nation further into idolatry.  Asa was different. He made a pledge to God and stuck with it. God granted the nation peace for many years. There were challenges. An assault by the Ethiopians, with an army of a million men moved on the nation. God delivered them. Then there was mama. Asa’s mother, the queen, had made a horrid idol. Asa had the idol destroyed and he removed mom from being the queen. I’m sure that wasn’t easy nor without a few words. Near the end of his life, Asa lost godly confidence and trusted in alliances for military help and doctors for physical help. That disappointed God.

Our verse today centers upon the expression, “wholly devoted to the Lord all his days.” I like that. Wholly devoted. That brings the image of being focused and centered upon the Lord. That implies prayers going upward and the word of God going inward. Wholly devoted.

I wonder if that could be something that is missing today. Many are devoted, but are they wholly devoted? When a major crisis arises, such as an attack by a million strong army, does our attention turn to God for the answer? Our attack may be cancer, or temptation, or injustice. Do we collapse under the pressure? Do we know what to do? Do we remain ‘wholly devoted’ to the Lord?

And what about mom? Wholly devoted means mom has to go. She can’t remain queen and make horrid images of idolatry. Mom isn’t getting it. Mom is standing in the way. Defend mom? Tolerate mom? Come up with little excuses, such as, ‘Well, that’s just mom?’ Asa did the hard thing. He stood with God. Mom or God? The choice was God. Jesus said ‘he that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy.’ Asa was wholly devoted.

Wholly devoted. Not Sunday devoted. Not devoted most of the time. Not devoted except when there are other things going on. Wholly—completely, fully, 100%, all-in. This is loving the Lord with ALL your heart, soul, mind and strength. Not when it’s easy. Not when there is nothing else to do. Not when I feel like it. It means when I don’t feel like it. It means when it’s hard. It means when a million strong army is knocking on your door. It means when mom is wrong. It’s making the tough calls. It’s doing the hard things.

Wholly devoted will lead to making the right choices. It will lead to standing with God when no one else will. It will make your light shine. It will put you in the position of doing what God wants even when it is not an easy call to make.

Wholly devoted. It would show in our attendance. Sometimes that ought to be the easiest thing to do, but for many it’s not. Do we go or stay home? Some have to make that decision every time. Some are not sure. There is a tug on the heart to do other things. Sleep in, go to the lake, hit the links, or go to worship services. They struggle. Sometimes they make the right call and sometimes they don’t. Preachers don’t understand why this is such a hard decision. They pound and pound about the value of attendance. But hearts that are not wholly devoted can’t see that. They struggle with that choice. Their faith struggles. They are not as close to the church family as they ought to be. They are not as strong as they could be. They are not wholly devoted as they should be.

Wholly devoted. It would show in our choices. The popular or the righteous? The choice of movies, the choice of clothing, the choice of attitudes, the choice of words, the choice of friends, the choice of hobbies. Wholly devoted means putting some things to the side while time is spent with the Lord. Wholly devoted means that some things must go. As Asa tossed mama out of the palace, we must toss some things from our life that are holding us back and are taking us down the wrong path. Some friends must go. Their language, behavior and choices are not godly. We are moving a different direction. We are different than they are. Sure that’s hard to do. Getting mama to give up her crown wasn’t easy, but it had to be done. Wholly devoted. Making the right choices. Making the best choices. Moses chose the people of God over the Egyptians. Peter chose to speak out when he was ordered to be silent. Joshua urged the nation to choose this day who you will serve. His decision was made. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Right choices. The right choices are not always easy. The right choices come with complaints from others. The right choices require much from you.

Wholly devoted means you will follow the Lord. Wholly devoted—doing what the Bible says, in all areas. Wholly– remember. It means developing the character of heart that God wants. It means forgiving and being a person of grace. It means standing with the father when the prodigal comes home. It means being kind and generous as God is. Gone is prejudice. Gone is gossip. Gone is mean talking. Gone is selfishness. It is being thoughtful, considerate and loving, even towards the unlovable. It means being a person of prayer. Wholly devoted.

This is not for the lazy, the faint of heart, nor those who lack a spiritual backbone. Wholly devoted. It’s what God wants. Asa did it, at least for a while. Can you? Can you be wholly devoted to the Lord today? How about tomorrow?

Wholly devoted. A church with ten wholly devoted people is better than a thousand who are playing the game, not serious and only partially devoted. Wholly devoted is a descriptive term for discipleship, commitment and dedication.

Wholly devoted…how about it? Are you?

Roger