WEEK FOUR - DAY FIVE AND WEEK RECAP!

Another week behind us and only two left in this study of Jeremiah, my new friend!  I've added another name to the list of those that I can't wait to sit down and talk to when I reach my forever heavenly home.  I think when I meet Jeremiah I will just want to give him a big hug...he seems like he would like that, doesn't he?  Just to know that someone fully appreciates the hard earthly life that he led and the fact that we are both now standing face to face in perfect eternity, all struggles behind us! No more weeping Jeremiah, I think he will be smiling from ear-to-ear!  Now that's some good daydreaming ...scenes like that playing in my head make me very anxious for home!

Day Five admonished us to give our whole hearts to God - no more half-hearted devotion.  This is where it gets hard for us - we want to be devoted to our Lord, but we always want to hold on to that little portion of our hearts that is reserved for us, whatever it is that we want in our lives.  God is surely OK with us holding on to a little bit for us, isn't He?  If holding on to a little bit was good for us, I think God would be ok with it....but He knows it's not.  He knows that "little bit" tends to grow, to multiply and before we know it, our heart has been consumed by "us" and all of our selfish desires.  Like our teaching said, this happens gradually so that we don't notice it happening, but unless we're guarding our hearts, it will surely occur.  Whole-hearted devotion is our goal and where God want us to live.  Half-hearted devotion becomes quarter-hearted devotion becomes a once-in-a-while fleeting thought of God.  

Jeremiah knew that Judah had lost their first love...and he pleads with them to return.  If we're at a level of devotion that is less than what we know God wants of us, return!  I told our group that when I was reading through this, I found myself singing, "Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling...calling, oh sinner, come home!"  Come home - come home and give your whole heart back to the One who loves it completely.  

In Ephesians 5:15-17, Paul writes, "So be careful how you live.  Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do."  So just as Jeremiah admonishes the people of Judah, Paul is calling to us as well...to be wise and make the most of every opportunity...don't act thoughtlessly...understand what the Lord wants us to do.   These words indicate we're to be in constant  thought of where God is leading us and what He is asking of us...all the time...that's whole-hearted devotion.  Let's live like that and see the difference it will make.  In our lives, and in the lives of those around us...living for the Kingdom!

Our week was centered on staying spiritually sensitive.  That's right where we ended up, isn't it...keeping that sensitive heart to God's leading and direction.  We can only do that by routinely evaluating our hearts---just as we take our blood pressure, or have an EKG, we need to check our spiritual sensitivity meter and ensure that we are not allowing our hearts to grow cold or stony.  Prayers for God to keep them soft and supple to His gentle touch.

Then we were reminded that behavior modification does not, and never will, equal heart change.  Heart change must be the first change...everything should be driven from the heart, it won't work going the other direction. Behavior modification is driven by us, surrender of our hearts to God allows HIM to do the changing in us, as only He can see the exact ways that we need changing.  Let Him!

Day three allowed us to see that our Father is the true mender of our broken hearts.  We can take them to Him and He will hear our mourning cries to Him and dry our many tears.  He IS close to the broken-hearted.  He cares for His children so dearly and tenderly.

Guarding our hearts is essential to our spiritual well.-being.  Our hearts are vulnerable to the enemy's attacks...that's why we are instructed to put on the breastplate of righteousness.  Not our own righteousness, it will fail us, but the righteousness of Christ that never fails.  We clothe ourselves in that righteousness and then reject all the harmful things that might damage our hearts - all the influences that we can recognize as opposed to the transformation that God is working within us.  

It all adds up to whole-hearted devotion to our Father.  Aren't we so fortunate that God wants ALL of us?  As stated in our text, "God doesn't desire all of our hearts because He is possessive or controlling; He simply knows that we are designed for intimacy with Him.  He knows that our half-hearted attempts at following Him will lead only to dissatisfaction, complacency and mediocrity---leaving us wanting something more....God calls us to whole-hearted devotion and He leads us by His own example---not sparing His only Son to show us His whole-hearted affection."

That's our God, that's our Father.  Let us return His whole-hearted affection with the surrender of our whole hearts!