Wholly

When you've got no ice cream, what's better than a friend willing to share half of theirs? Half-listening to your wife is better than not listening at all, right? You might not be marathon-ready, but a half marathon is better than sitting on your sofa eating Takis all weekend. Half can be a good thing! Unless, of course, we only get half the message: "Be sure to run your brother over... 

...to his friend Alex's house" or "Congratulations! You've won...

...a year's supply of personalized checks!"

Well, it's become readily apparent to me that giving God half of anything is not what He's interested in. And it's really not what I'm interested in --but that doesn't mean I'm always compliant. 

Luke 10:38-40 is the account of Jesus' visit with Mary and Martha. We find Mary sitting quietly at the Savior's feet while Martha is preoccupied ("distracted" it says in the NKJV) with the hospitality aspect of the visit. Matthew 26:36-46 records the events in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus asked His Disciples to pray for Him; the hour was late, and while their spirits may have indeed been willing, their flesh was weak. In Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth (2 Cor. 12:7-10), he reveals some affliction given him by God. Paul petitioned the Lord multiple times to have it removed, but Jesus told him it needed to stay, a reminder "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." There are all sorts of things that can cause us to give God half-- the distraction of responsibilities, fatigue, a lack of resources --but none of these is acceptable. God wants it all. 

Luke 10:42, Jesus tells Martha that her sister has chosen "that good part," listening at the feet of her Savior, keeping her eyes fixed on Him as He speaks, remaining teachable and attentive, ignoring the chaos of the world around her, answering her Master's call, and choosing the eternal treasure. Matthew 26:56 ends the scene in the garden with some of the saddest words in all of Scripture: "Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled." Their choice to cater to their flesh rather than heed the admonition of their Friend left them unprepared and fearful; their lack of prayer and obedience robbed them of discernment and twisted their priorities at a critical hour. Paul assures us elsewhere in his letters, God has given us all we need; there is no lack of resources to prevent us from giving one hundred percent.

Whatever we think we have to do, whatever we feel, whatever we think we lack, the Savior debunks all those excuses. He has said to me, and He will tell you the same, He wants all of us, every part. He wants us to respond immediately when He calls. He wants us to find a place, a moment where nothing will keep us from hearing His voice. He wants us to obey in humility, completely trusting Him for the outcome. He wants our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our bodies for His purposes. Our thoughts, our words, and our deeds should always be surrendered to His will. Without distraction. Without excuse. Wholly.

(Photo courtesy Joseph Murphy)