Love God With All That You Are
I read a study a few years back that basically said multitasking is a myth. Those who think they are good at multitasking are really just good at switching between tasks. I guarantee you some of you just said “Hey! I’m great at multitasking.” That may be so, but even if you think you are good at multitasking I don’t think the question should be ‘CAN I multitask’ but rather, ‘SHOULD I multitask’. Trying to do two things at once will lower our ability to be effective at both things. If I choose to text and drive, one of the two will suffer; either my texts will be littered with errors or I’m more likely to make a mistake on the road. I ‘CAN’ do both but it does not mean that I ‘SHOULD’ do both. Matthew 5:8 says “Blessed are the pure in heart…”. This verse speaks to not only a morally pure heart but an undivided heart, a heart one with a singular devotion to Christ. What if being divided in our heart actually causes us to be less efficient in our walk with God? The second part of that beatitude is “For They Shall See God”. What if by allowing other things to fill our heart we are actually missing out on a fullness of God in our own lives and an awareness of him at work around us?
Proverbs 4:24 says “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” The word heart here means the core of our being. The idea then being that whatever we embrace at the core of who we are will impact everything else about us. Think about a well, if the well becomes contaminated then all the water drawn from that well will also be contaminated. So, it is with us. If our hearts become contaminated with a love for something that is not God, then that thing will be more likely to direct our actions than God. Which will cause us to miss out on the fullness of a life lived in the presence of God and could also lead our lives down a path of hurt and destruction.
That is why in Matthew 22:36-38, when asked about what the greatest commandment was, Jesus responded with “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” Jesus knows the power our heart has to lead us astray. If we want to be more aware of God at work around us, more obedient to him in action, and more efficient in our service of Him then we must start with a heart that is focused on God and God alone and allow Him to direct the rest.
-Adam Deering
