Wholehearted Living : Wholehearted Love to God

 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." —Matthew 22:37

Obeying the greatest commandment is my highest desire and the focus of my prayers. I long to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind. But what does such love look like?

The one who loves God wholeheartedly obeys His commandments, gives thanks in every circumstance, remains steadfast in God’s Word, and serves Him with joyful devotion.

This love aligns with God’s heart: it loves what God loves, hates what God hates.

It is a love that constantly meditates on His Word, delights in talking with Him, and cherishes the fellowship of those who love Him. It is a love that accepts God’s children as family.

True understanding of God’s love compels a response of wholehearted love. How could anyone truly comprehend the depth of His love and not be moved to love Him with everything they are?

Topical meditation 2024

November 17

Wholehearted Living : Wholehearted Serving

 Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. - 1 Samuel 12:24

Service to God is genuine when it flows from a heart that fears the Lord and is filled with gratitude for His great works. Service pleases God only when it is wholehearted—offered with an undivided heart, not halfheartedly. To serve the Lord with all your heart, His work must take priority in your life, and no earthly distraction should compete with it. A person devotes themselves wholeheartedly to a task when they deem it the most important thing in their life.

This reminds me of Nehemiah. He faced distractions and opposition while building the wall around Jerusalem, but he remained steadfast. When invited to a meeting to interrupt his work, Nehemiah replied, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3).

Nehemiah’s unwavering focus is the answer of every person who serves God wholeheartedly. Wholehearted service means remaining committed to the Lord’s work, undeterred by obstacles or distractions, and viewing His service as a privilege and a priority. I want to serve God with all my heart, mindful of the great things He has done for me.

Topical meditation 2024

November 16

Wholehearted Living : Wholehearted Praying

 "I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful to me according to Your word." — Psalm 119:58

"I cry out with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes." — Psalm 119:145

The psalmist loves God's Word, finds comfort in His mercy, and longs for His presence. He seeks God's favor and strength to keep His statutes, therefore he prays not halfheartedly but with his whole heart. If God's Word is most important to you, if His presence is your greatest treasure, and if you truly seek His mercy, you will pray wholeheartedly. Prayer is wholehearted when it is for something you deeply desire, something you cannot bear to live without—when, like Jacob, you say, “I will not let You go unless You bless me.”

A wholehearted prayer is a persistent prayer, a prayer of faith, a prayer of someone who refuses to give up. A person who prays with all their heart flees from sin therefore prays fervently to resist temptation. They believe in God's promises, therefore pray to receive them. They long to obey God’s commandments and pray earnestly for the strength to keep them. Knowing they cannot overcome sin alone, they ask the Lord for the power to overcome. Because they seek the Lord with all their heart, they are able to pray with all their heart.

A prayer in which the heart is absent will not reach heaven, but a wholehearted prayer will reach God’s heart.

Topical meditation 2024

November 15

Wholehearted Living : Wholehearted Trust

 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." — Proverbs 3:5

The wisest man of all times urges us to trust the Lord with our whole heart, rather than relying on our own understanding. Every child of God knows from experience that leaning on our own understanding always leads to disappointment, failure, and defeat. In contrast, there is no one who has wholeheartedly trusted in the Lord and been disappointed or regretted it.

I have many reasons to avoid relying on my own understanding and even more reasons to trust fully in my Lord. If I trust in the Lord with all my heart:

1. I am confident that He will always guide me in the right way.

2. I will be quick to seek His guidance.

3. I will be eager to follow the direction I receive from Him.

Wholehearted trust means that in every situation, I will run to the throne of grace. In every temptation and trial, prayer will be my immediate response, and seeking the Lord will be my first action.

Topical meditation 2024

November 14

Wholehearted Living : Wholehearted Obedience

 "Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart." – Psalm 119:34

"The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart." – Psalm 119:69

The psalmist seeks understanding not for recognition, nor to appear wise or spiritual, but so that he may fully obey God’s Word with an undivided heart. True obedience to God’s Word is wholehearted—it involves following all His commandments, not some of them. Wholehearted obedience means obeying from the heart, not just outwardly; obeying in all things, not just in some; and obeying consistently, not temporarily. Even when slandered by the proud, the psalmist’s commitment to God’s precepts did not waver; he continued to obey with all his heart. If my love for God’s Word is genuine, my obedience to His Word will be wholehearted, steadfast, and sincere.

Topical meditation 2024

November 13

Wholehearted Living : Wholehearted Seeking

 "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." – Jeremiah 29:13

"Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!" – Psalm 119:2

The Lord has promised that those who seek Him will find Him, but there is a condition: they must seek Him with their whole heart—not with a half-hearted effort, nor with an "almost whole" heart, but with a fully devoted heart.

Seeking is not just dreaming or wishing; it requires action. When you seek something wholeheartedly, everything else becomes secondary, and you won’t rest until you find it. If I search for something halfheartedly, it means I’d like to have it, but it isn’t my top priority. To seek the Lord with all my heart means that pleasing Him is my greatest desire, that studying His Word is my greatest delight, and that His presence is my most precious treasure. I want to seek my Lord's presence wholeheartedly—let Him be the first I turn to every morning, and may my time with Him be my highest priority.

Topical meditation 2024

November 12

Wholehearted Living: Wholehearted praise

 "I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works." — Psalm 9:1

"Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation." — Psalm 111:1

"I will praise You with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing praises to You." — Psalm 138:1

Praise pleases God when it comes from the heart—the whole heart. The Lord does not desire a divided heart or half-hearted praise. He listens with delight to a song that flows from a true heart, even if it includes a few false notes, rather than one with perfect vocals but a divided heart. He does not want beautiful words that do not come from the heart.

The psalmist gives thanks to God for His marvelous works, recalls His mercies, and loves His Word; thus, praise springs naturally from his heart. Every child of God echoes the same words: “I will praise You with all my heart.”

Topical meditation 2024

November 11

The Joy of Being on God's Mind

"How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!" —Psalm 139:17

In the book of Psalms, I see that the psalmist constantly reflects on God—on His Word, His works, and His mercy. In this verse, he reflects on the fact that God thinks about him, which brings him delight, joy, and admiration.

Every child of God can echo these words: "How precious are Your thoughts to me," realizing that the Creator, the King, the Almighty, the Omniscient One is thinking about them. This thought brings comfort, joy, peace, strengthens our faith, and deepens our love.

If the Lord thinks about me, then it doesn’t matter who doesn’t or who thinks poorly of me. If my Lord’s thoughts about me are limitless, then my joy and admiration for Him will also be limitless.

From my diary,

November 10, 2024

 

The Wrong Words of the Prophets, the Wrong Deeds of the Priests, the Wrong Attitude of the People

 

"A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?" (Jeremiah 5:30-31).

It is indeed a horrible thing. There are three groups mentioned here: the prophets, the priests, and the people of God. What the prophets say is wrong; they speak words that God did not command. What the priests do is wrong; they rule by their own authority.  The people's attitude toward it all is wrong: they love it. This is what encourages the prophets to prophesy falsely and the priests to exercise false authority.

If the people had examined the prophets’ words and recognized that under the phrase "Thus saith the Lord" they were speaking their own words, and if they had rejected the false authority of the priests, the prophets and priests would not have been able to continue their false prophecies and corrupt rule.

God's people must oppose falsehood, not love it.

From my diary,

November 9, 2024

A Merciful Call to the Backsliding Heart

 

"Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.” “Indeed, we do come to You, for You are the LORD our God." - Jeremiah 3:22

Here is God’s merciful invitation: return! It is addressed to the  backsliding children who had perverted their way, forgotten their God (v. 21), sinned against Him, and failed to obey His voice (v. 25).

They were backsliding, ungrateful, disobedient children, yet God offered them the chance to return with the promise: “I will heal your backslidings.”

This loving invitation received a response: “Indeed, we come to You.” They didn’t merely think about coming or dream of it—they truly came. And the reason is clear: For You are the LORD our God.

To whom else should we go? You are our Savior, our Lord.
There is no other God; You are our God.

From my diary,

November 8, 2024

The Bone-Breaking Tongue: The Soft Tongue’s Strength

"By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone." — Proverbs 25:15

The book of Proverbs has much to say about the power of the tongue and our words. In this same chapter, we read about a word fitly spoken, which is compared to golden apples. In the book of Proverbs, I see that words can be like a sword, piercing deeply, or they can be pleasant, sweet like a honeycomb, bringing sweetness to the soul and healing to the bones. This verse, however, speaks of a tongue that can break. It is the same honeycomb and the same golden apple. This is a paradox: what is soft can break what is hard. Abigail had a bone-breaking tongue; her wise and gentle words prevented David from taking revenge.

I want my words to be like honey—sweet and healing, beautiful as golden apples, and soft enough to break through hardness.

From my diary,

November 7, 2024

 

A Worship Model in Psalm 118

 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 118:1

Psalm 118 contains all the essential elements of a worship service.

1. Invitation to praise the Lord. (vv. 1-4)

2. Personal Testimonies: the Lord answered me (v. 5), the Lord helped me (v. 13), He has become my salvation (v. 14).

3. Wise Exhortations: " It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." (v. 8)

4. Expressions of Joy: "We will rejoice and be glad in it. " (v. 24)

5. Earnest Prayer: " Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity " (v. 25).

6. Proclamation of the Lord's power: " The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly " (v. 16).

7. Personal praise: " You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You ." (v. 28).

From my diary,

November 6, 2024

God’s Assurance in Battle: Every Weapon Will Fail

 "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," says the LORD. (Isaiah 54:17)

Weapons will indeed be formed against God’s people, and tongues will rise in judgment against them. Yet, the Word of God assures us that these weapons will not prosper, and every condemning tongue will be silenced. Just ask Haman: he crafted a weapon to destroy Mordecai but was ultimately hanged on it himself. Potiphar's wife may have thought that the weapon of slander she had formed was successful when she sent Joseph to prison on an unjust charge. Joseph became a ruler and is now in heaven, while Mrs. Potiphar is in hell. In the Acts of the Apostles, persecution arose against the Church, only to result in its strengthening and the spread of God’s Word. Likewise, when Daniel's three friends were thrown into the fiery furnace, they emerged unharmed—yet those who cast them in were consumed by the flames.

Satan and his servants prepare various weapons against God's people: weapons of persecution, weapons of slander, weapons of temptation to sin, weapons of false teaching, but none of them will prosper. Persecution cannot separate God's children from God's love, the slanderous tongue will one day be silenced, the armor of God will help God's children to overcome the temptation of sin, the lover of God's Word will reject false teaching through discernment. No matter the weapon formed, God’s promise stands—none will prosper against His own.

From my diary,

November 5, 2024

No Peace for the Wicked

 “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.” Isaiah 48:22

The wicked may experience earthly imitations of peace—counterfeits of the true, heavenly original but true peace is not theirs. Jesus promised peace to His own—not to the servants of Satan. Perfect peace is for those whose minds are stayed on the Lord (Isaiah 26:3), whose consciences are clear. Sin and peace can never coexist. Those who do not trust in the Lord cannot find peace. Peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Only those who are filled with the Holy Spirit possess it.

From my diary,

November 4, 2024

When Despair Speaks, God Reminds

 Why do you say, O Jacob, and why do you assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my claim is ignored by my God”? - Isaiah 40:27

Here, despair is rebuked. The rhetorical question “Why do you say?” essentially means “Do not say.” Our lack of faith, misplaced expectations for answers to prayers, or our own sins can make us feel as though our way is hidden from the Lord, as if our claims are ignored by Him, or that the Lord has forgotten us. Yet, in truth, God never forgets His people. He does not grow weary; instead, He gives strength to the weary, and His understanding is beyond searching.

From my diary,

November 3, 2024

Deaf to the Enemy's Voice

But they held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” Isaiah 36:21

King Hezekiah wisely commanded his people not to respond to the words of the wicked king, and they showed wisdom by obeying. Arguing with the devil and his servants is not only useless but also dangerous. We should never engage in conversation with the devil; I must be deaf to his words.

In doing so, we prevent him from carrying out his evil plans.

From my diary,

November 2, 2024

Fear Not: The Promise of His Presence

 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the reward of God; He will come and save you." Isaiah 35:4

God's people need encouragement, and the greatest encouragement for them is the promise of His presence. Not just anyone, but your God will come. There’s no need for you to seek revenge—your God will come with vengeance. There’s no need to save yourself—He will save you.

Therefore, do not be afraid; instead, trust in the Lord.

From my diary,

November 1, 2024

The Demand for Smooth Things

 "That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the LORD; who say to the seers, 'Do not see,' and to the prophets, 'Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.'" Isaiah 30:9-10

Not only in Isaiah’s time, but throughout all ages, including now, those who love sin and refuse to listen to God's Word say the same thing. Today, too, people often reject the truth, preferring to hear comforting, smooth words—even lies. The Apostle Paul foresaw this for our time: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." (2 Timothy 4:3)

Those who love sin hate the light and avoid it, so their deeds are not exposed (John 3:20). They don’t want sermons that sober, warn, or rebuke; they resist messages that expose lies and teach truth. Instead, they want to hear that all is well, that one can reach heaven without holiness, that strictly following God’s Word is fanaticism or legalism, that details aren’t important, and that walking the narrow path, denying oneself, or separating from the world isn’t necessary. They prefer messages that say it's impossible not to sin or that following man-made doctrines is acceptable so long as they avoid being labeled as “sectarian” or facing persecution.

Such people reject scriptural truth because they prefer the praise of men over the praise of God (John 12:43). They cannot bear to be confronted with the truth in Scripture.

Those who preach falsehoods bring destruction upon themselves and lead their listeners into destruction as well. As Spurgeon said, such preachers do not feed the sheep; rather, they entertain the goats.

In contrast, those with sincere hearts long to hear truth that reproves and frees them from sin. They reject deception and, like the Bereans, examine everything they hear and read, comparing it with the Holy Scriptures and rejecting anything that does not align with the Bible. They examine themselves like David and ask the Lord to search their heart, to see if they are not on a wicked way (Psalm 139).

Many preach smooth things, and many listen eagerly. But those who proclaim the uncompromised Word of God are few, and their listeners are also few. These belong to the “little flock” Jesus spoke of, who have chosen the narrow gate and the narrow way.

Four hundred prophets told King Ahab what he wanted to hear, but only Micaiah, the true prophet, delivered the Word of God, which displeased the king. Ahab chose to listen to falsehoods that pleased him—and he perished as a result (1 Kings 22:1-37; 2 Chronicles 18:1-34).

Praise the Lord that, as in all ages, there are still preachers of truth who, despite the demand for smooth things, remain faithful to the Word of God.

From my diary,

October 31, 2024