Wholehearted service

Sometimes it just amazes me how easily we put sin before Christ. We all strive and long for a deep relationship with someone who understands us. This is why so often we get into broken, messed up relationships. We are all looking for love and looking for someone to love. But how is it in our quest that we so often miss the One in which we will find all of this? God is the Captain of our faith, our comfort, our strength, our hope, our life! There is nothing in this life that He cannot satisfy or make right. But h, so many times how we chose sin over His love!

Jesus says "You cannot serve two masters; God and mammon". I think many times we do not realize what this means. We pray the sinners prayer, go to church, read our Bibles every day (or at least every other day), and we are content with that. So why is there that void? Why is reading God's living word so mundane and boring. Why does prayer just feel like recitation of requests and praises that we know are what we are supposed to say? The answer many times is that we are living with one hand in the world, and one hand in Christ and His kingdom. We want the best of two worlds. We are like the rich young ruler. We just cannot give up that little bosom sin we have. For some, it may be partying, drinking, pornography, sex, you know, the bad stuff! But wait, anything put above or in place of God is a sin. What about that work that keeps you from God, or the desire for fame and fortune, or that relationship not centered on God, or eating food when you know you shouldn't, or even that bad TV show that you know you shouldn't be watching, or that bad word that just keeps coming out whenever you get mad. All these things take the place of God. We may not think so especially when we actually do take time for God in our lives too, but sin and God cannot both abide healthily. No we cannot lose our salvation, and no, we will never be perfect, but we cannot blatantly live in sin and at the same time have a healthy relationship with the Lord. You cannot marry someone and still be seeing other people, and if you do, your relationship will crumble very quickly.

But these sins are so hard to eliminate. And it's so easy to give up and give in. Just remember, God loves you, and He wants more than anything to be close to you. He wants to be your satisfaction and your peace in life. And He can be. But first, we must let go! We must lose control, and break free of those lusts and temptations that so often control us. God wants our whole heart, not just part of it. So pray to Him to help you. You cannot do it on your own, and He does not expect you to. He wants to do it for you, and He can. He has done it in my life so many times, I cannot even count. Never have I had a more faithful friend than my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is there for me even when I hide from Him. And He can pull you through your greatest trial. He can release you from the bondage of your most loved sin. Go to Him, and pour your heart out before Him. It is your first step towards true peace and contentment.