God is looking for people who will be fully committed to Him (2 Chron 16:9). He longs for us to love Him with all our heart, soul, strength and mind (Deut 6:4-5, Matt 22:36-38), for our lives to be wholly rooted in Him. (Col 2:6-7)
Asa was a king who started well with heartfelt commitment to God. (2 Chron 15:17) However, in his last years he did not fully trust in God, making a treaty with Ben-Hadad, king of Damascus (2 Chron 16:2-10) and failing to seek help from God when he became ill. (2 Chron 16:12) We need to trust in the Lord with all our hearts (Prov 3:5), not just in fits and starts or when it’s easy, but constantly.
We also need to obey God with an undivided heart (Ps 119:34, 69; 1 Chron 29:19) and to serve Him wholeheartedly. (Neh 4:4, Col 3:23) Our praise has to be wholehearted (Ps 111:1, Ps 138:1). God is not interested in half-hearted lip service. He longs for surrendered hearts and zealous service. (Rom 12:8-11)
Prov 4:23 warns us to guard our hearts above all else: ‘for everything you do flows from it.’ (Prov 4:23) We have to examine our hearts regularly (2 Cor 13:5, 1 Cor 11:28) because they have the capacity for self-deception (Jer 17:9) The good news is that God promises to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. (2 Crhon 16:9) Time to review our heart’s status?