Waffles
By John and Kelly Chesnut
Post date: Nov. 4, 2019
We enjoy a tradition of sharing Sunday morning waffles with our grandchildren. It’s something they look forward to and we look forward to sharing it with them.
Waffles have a grid-like pattern of “boxes.” Some waffles have shallow boxes while others (like the Belgian waffles our grandchildren enjoy) are deeper. Our grandchildren love to fill their Belgian waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream — the more, the better. And Belgian waffles have the space to fill each and every square!
We can create mental boxes just like waffles as a way to keep track of things in our lives. We make a box for work, one for ministry, another for church, and one for relationships. Each compartment takes up space in our minds. It helps us organize our time, focus and effort.
But we also tend to do the same thing with our hearts.
Jesus calls us to love God with all of our hearts. Yet our ability to compartmentalize things is harmful for our hearts. We’re called to have undivided hearts: hearts that love God in every area and every way.
So what do undivided hearts look like? Undivided hearts are willing to love God and give him access to every part of our lives, not just our work or ministry. Our leisure time is fully his. The shows we watch on television and the books we read belong to him. The thoughts we have about other people belong to him — and when those thoughts don’t reflect the heart of God, we must realign them with his truth, love and grace because they are his.
Everything we say, do or think is rooted in our hearts (Luke 6:45). A heart that is wholly the Lord’s is one that produces good fruit in all areas of life — not just the seemingly “spiritual” aspects.
The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those
whose hearts are fully committed to him. — 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT)
As believers everything we’re about is spiritual. There is no differentiation, no compartmentalization, because all that we do is to be done with the intent of honoring and glorifying God. Whether in our conversations with non-Christian friends and family, our grocery store trips, our school car line pick-ups or our time spent on social media — all things should reflect hearts that are fully committed to God. To remember this and live it out is to love God wholeheartedly.
Questions for Reflection:
What area(s) of your life have you unknowingly boxed off or compartmentalized from the Lord?
What does it look like for you to love God with all your heart today?
When we have hearts that are fully committed to the Lord, we daily take up our crosses, deny ourselves and follow him (Matthew 16:24). What area(s) of your life do you need to surrender to God today in order to love him wholeheartedly?
Dive deeper into what it looks like to love God with all your heart in our devotional.
Para leer el devocional en español oprima aquí.