He said, "O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant in steadfast love with your servants who walk before you with all their heart --." II Chronicles 6: 14 NRSV
"...Who walk before you with all their heart...."
What does it mean to walk before someone? When my son was little, he would always want to walk in front of me which meant that I was usually stumbling over his little feet or having to change my own path in order to keep moving. The benefit was that I could keep an eye on him. Otherwise, he might stop and admire a plant or pick up something from the dirt and I would be several strides ahead. I would not realize that he had been left behind until I happened to look back and realize that I had "lost" him.
What does it mean to give all your heart? In both my son's karate class as well as his Cub Scout oath, he is asked to always do his best. For his age it is good to ask: are you doing your best? This is like saying that someone is giving it their all, they are not holding back and they are doing more than just going through the motions. To give something or someone all your heart also means that you are giving completely with no reservations.
So, to walk before God with all your heart means that you are keeping yourself completely in God's sight and you are giving all your heart without any reservations to God.
God, I want to walk before you with all my heart. Please keep an eye on me at all times, Lord, and I will do my best to give you my whole heart. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright 2010 Amelia G. Sims
Your devotionals are very well done. This one is of special interest to me. I just finished reading another blog with the same theme. I think I need to examine myself. But I am saddened by the complacency of Christians and the lack of total commitment. In Rev. 3 Christ Himself warns us that He will spit the lukewarm out of his mouth. I want to stay as close to Him as I can. I know I can't live in this world without Him. Thank you for a great post. Keep it up. Blessings, Bobbi
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bobbi! And don't forget when we start seeing similar themes - in blogs, sermons, books, etc. that is God's way of drawing our attention to something specific. May your eyes be opened to what God is saying to you.... Peace, Amelia
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