A Heart Condition

A Heart Condition
Their heart is divided; now they are held guilty. He will break down their altars; He will ruin their sacred pillars. —Hosea 10: 2
Israel gave God a place in their heart—but only a small place. They couldn’t offer Him their whole heart, because they had also chosen to worship other gods. Jesus told us that it isn’t possible to serve two masters (Matthew 6: 24). Yet that is exactly what many people try to do. Instead of giving God total devotion, they settle for giving Him just a nod now and then.
**God is not satisfied with having just a part of your life. He is not willing to share you with other gods.
God desires—God deserves—to have your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole mind. How is your heart today? Is it given wholly to God, or is it divided? It can be difficult to accurately assess your own heart because, as Jeremiah points out, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17: 9).
The only way to know the true condition of your heart is to ask the Lord to search your heart for you. What can you do if God reveals to you that your heart is divided? Follow the example of David, who asked God to unite his heart. Or accept the challenge of Joshua, who urged, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24: 15).
Father, help us to live a life that is truly devoted to You. Remove anything that is causing us to offer You a divided heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.