Devotion by Pastor Audrey Ng
Jeremiah 29:13
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
We can find God when we seek Him with all our heart. God wants your whole heart—not half of it.
The heart is the engine of human existence—the most important organ that carries oxygen to every part of the body. Without the heart, man cannot survive. Heart disease kills millions of people every year, hence, it is very important to keep our hearts healthy.
The Bible often speaks of the human heart and God uses the heart as a parallel to our spiritual condition.
God “knows the secrets of the heart” (Psalm 44:21) and “searches the heart” (Jeremiah 17:10). He wants us to love and serve Him with a “whole heart and willing mind” (1 Chronicles 28:9).
The heart is the core and the essence of who you are. So how is your heart condition today? Like how your heart “skips a beat” when you encounter someone you are attracted to, does your heart “skip a beat” at the mention of His name?
God is looking for our whole hearted devotion. “Devotion” is one of those words in the English language that is packed full of meaning. It means, “ardent, often selfless affection, and dedication, as to a person or principle.
To be devoted to someone means being selfless towards the person and putting him or her before yourself. To love someone means to devote your whole self, your time, your energy to him or her.
Let’s look at the difference between David and Saul.
Outwardly, Saul seemed to be a rather perfect man … but God saw his HEART. He was actually an arrogant, self-centred and stubborn man!
Outwardly, David was an incorrigible person (immoral, cunning)… but God saw his HEART. Despite his weaknesses and failures, David was a man “after God’s own heart”. He was called “the sweet psalmist of Israel” and “the greatest king Israel ever had”!
While Saul had a divided heart and was not wholeheartedly devoted to God, David loved God wholeheartedly and was always quick to recognise the need to repent before the Lord.
None of us are perfect. We may have weaknesses and struggles, but God is not looking for a perfect person. He is looking for someone who will love Him with wholehearted devotion.
Jeremiah 29:13-14 (MSG)
“When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree. “I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”—God’s Decree—“bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.
I often find myself praying, Lord, take my heart. Create in me a new heart, one that is after You. Place in me, a deep desire to know and as I am known. If more of You means less of me, then take all of me. Take all of my heart. Never let my heart grow hard. Never let it grow cold. Never let it grow jaded. Never let me go.
You heart will always pursue what you treasure.
Today, Let us be wholehearted in our devotion to God. Let us get serious about finding God. Love Him and worship Him wholeheartedly. Let us desire Jesus more than anything else in our lives.