Giving Our Heart Completely to God in the New Year

Is giving our heart completely to God possible? And, is it easy?

I believe the answers are Yes and No respectively.

Ever since I gave my heart to the Lord at sixteen, I’ve heard God’s people speak about whole-hearted devotion to the Lord.

Also, how committed believers protect their heart from becoming divided.

Because the Lord never meant for the human heart to belong completely to anything or anyone other than Him.

In college, I chose 2 Chronicles 16:9a as my life verse:

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (NASB 1995, emphasis added)

According to Dictionary.com, the phrase to and fro means “a continuous or regular movement backward and forward.”

The Lord is looking for people with this kind of undivided devotion and heart for Him.

So if it’s really possible, but not easy, where do we even start and how do we go about it?

The Bible is the best place to discover the key to giving our heart completely to God.

Giving Our Heart: Love, Serve, Seek

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:5 (ESV, emphasis added)

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 10:12 (NIV, emphasis added)

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV, emphasis added)

The Lord never meant for the human heart to belong completely to anything or anyone other than Him. Share on X Read More…

The Story of Christmas from Jesus’ Mother

Do you love to hear a good story? I enjoy stories passed down through generations and in literature. And I’m especially fond of stories told as first-hand accounts of actual events. But what about the story of Christmas?

Have you read the Christmas story in the Bible? How have others told the story?

I wonder how Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus, felt and experienced the birth of the Christ child. Or, what it was like to see Jesus grow into a man and fulfill His mission.

Perhaps Mary’s thoughts went something like this.

The Story of Christmas: First Breath of Grace

He took His first breath. The first breath of grace. Wrapped in a swaddling cloth, though adorned with royal titles. Wonderful. Counselor. Prince of Peace. Holy King. Immanuel. The Ancient of Days.

He took His first breath. The first breath of grace. Wrapped in a swaddling cloth, though adorned with royal titles. Wonderful. Counselor. Prince of Peace. Holy King. Immanuel. The Ancient of Days. Share on X

The Lamb of God created the star placed in the heavens to announce His arrival. The light of the world.

I held Him in my arms, so overjoyed. Barely minutes old and seemingly fragile. But this baby embodied the fullness of the Godhead. Such power later demonstrated when He cast out evil spirits and even raised the dead to life again.

I  studied every feature as mothers do when handed a newborn. Gazing intently at Him, I saw the goodness and greatness of God.

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3 Divine Christmas Presents not Under Our Tree

When we think of Christmas presents, our thoughts ponder what to buy that family member who has everything.

Or there’s the person who is particular.

Perhaps we wonder what treasures lay under the tree for us.

But as we head toward Christmas, let’s discuss presents not found under our tree.

Because these are not typical Christmas gifts.

Instead, they are gifts money cannot buy.

They are intangible, yet wonderful.

And these presents gift us with some of the most glorious things in life.

(1.) Divine Christmas Present: Forgiveness

According to Merriam-Webster, forgiveness is “To cease to feel resentment against (an offender): PARDON: forgive one’s enemies.”

Several forms of the word in the Greek are used in the Bible: aphiemi means “to send forth, send away”; “to remit or forgive” as in completely canceling debts (Blue Letter Bible/Vine’s Expository Dictionary).

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matthew 6:12 (ESV)

To give and receive forgiveness, we thank God for forgiving us of our sins. And we continue to confess and repent when we fail to obey Him.

Next, we ask others to forgive us for any missteps against them. Then, we generously forgive others of hurts and offenses.

Finally, we strive to keep a short account with God and people. We ask the Lord to give us the ability to extend forgiveness, ask for forgiveness, and truly see it as a gift.

To give and receive forgiveness, we strive to keep a short account with God and people. We confess and repent of sin and lack of obedience to God. We ask others for forgiveness and generously forgive hurts and offenses toward us. Share on X

(2.) Divine Christmas Present: Encouragement

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Don’t Miss This: Where True Hope Lives

Pointing out the window to a community in the country, I exclaimed: “Teresa, my friend from high school lives there.”

Another friend and I were traveling during the early morning hours to attend a conference near the town where I grew up.

It’s interesting to know where friends or people we meet live and work and worship.

Wouldn’t you agree?

But what if we knew where true hope lives?

Because life’s hurts, heartaches and injustices often leave us feeling overwhelmed and hopeless.

Or, our dreams hunger for fulfillment.

Still, true hope lives closer than you think. Let’s find out hope’s address.

True Hope Lives Closer Than You Think

Google defines hope, “A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.”

All humans hope:

I hope to lose weight.

My friend carries many hopes in her heart.

The pastor said not to give up hope.

We hope our brother pulls through this illness.

Yet, sometimes things happen differently than we wanted. Hope exists in many forms. But when we cling to false hopes, they soon fizzle and leave us empty-handed.

Women often come to me looking for authentic hope. Did I pray enough? Where is God? Will He come through for me?

These are women in tough places. Hearts broken by tragedy. Languishing dreams with no pillow to lay their heads. In the same way, I relate to times of hard circumstances. Perhaps you can relate as well.

There’s something I want you to know. You are never far from hope.

There’s something I want you to know. You are never far from hope. Share on X

Finding Where True Hope Lives

Friend, I want true hope. I’m guessing so do you.

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