Don't Quit Till You Got Nothing Left!

More than likely, we've all taken an exam or test that we just made the grade that let us pass the course by the skin of our teeth. Or we finished that project but it certainly wasn't to the standard it should have been done because our heart just wasn't in it. It shows by our half-hearted attitude. It was just good enough. But "a just enough” attitude in anything in life “just isn’t enough”!

If you saw the movie “Facing the Giants”, you'll remember the tough time that the Shiloh Eagles football team had in winning a game in over six years. They were a half-hearted and stinking- thinking team. Now it was a new season and they lost their first three games. Coach Grant Taylor, who was half-hearted in his coaching and in his marriage, had a personal encounter with God after staying up one night praying and studying scripture that gave him a new coaching and life philosophy. He influenced his players to give far greater effort and told them that they could win with a whole-hearted attitude in the game and with God's help. Everything turned around when they went from half-hearted to wholehearted commitment in their attitudes and in their determination. My favorite scene was when Coach Taylor pushed Brock, the team captain, further than what the captain would have ever pushed himself. In the death crawl scene, Coach blindfolded Brock because he didn't want him to give up before he gave it is his "very best". Brock crawled the distance to the end zone (though he thought it was the 50-yard line) with Jeremy on his back. You'll enjoy watching the death crawl scene again here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=-sUKoKQlEC4

Yesterday I was singing an old chorus that went like this… “With all of my heart, with all of my heart, I will love you, Lord, with all my heart!” I googled it and found that it was written and sung by Morris Chapman who was at my daughter’s church a few weeks ago. He didn’t sing that song, but played the piano and sung many others he had written. He is 85 years young and after illnesses that almost took his life, he is spry and still going strong and is wholeheartedly singing and playing (beautifully, I might add) and serving God with all his heart. That impressed me so much – with WHOLEHEARTEDNESS!

God gave us His whole heart when He gave us His Son. His Son, Jesus Christ, gave His all when He gave His life for us. Shouldn’t we take on a new attitude of “giving our all” in everything we do in life – in our homes, our jobs, our love for God and others? Fully devoted followers of Christ don't know "just enough" or “making it by the skin of our teeth”.

“Wholehearted” means complete commitment, dedication, fully devoted, loyal, unlimited, unconditional. “Lord, I want to serve you wholeheartedly. Please forgive me for not having an “all-in” attitude in anything you assign for me to do. I don’t want to be a half-hearted servant. I don’t want to make it to heaven “by the skin of my teeth”! I want to be fully devoted, locked and loaded as your follower and your ambassador.”

Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with ALL YOUR HEART and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Jeremiah 29:13 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me WITH ALL YOUR HEART.”

Psalm 138:1 “I will give You thanks WITH ALL MY HEART.”