Wholehearted Devotion

He prayed, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion. [2 Chronicles 6.14] 

What is wholehearted devotion?

At the dedication of the Temple that Solomon built, Solomon prayed this prayer as part of a larger prayer. The dedication ceremony revolved around the Ark of the Covenant being carried into the Most Holy Place.

The wholehearted devotion Solomon spoke of involved everything he prayed regarding the people's focus on the Temple and the Ark in it. Solomon prayed that when they encountered troubles, they should turn to the Temple and pray - specifically in repentance - and that God would forgive their sin in the form of restoring what they'd lost. 

Again, the Ark was central to everything because it contained the covenant:

And I have prepared a place there for the Ark, which contains the covenant that the LORD made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.” [1 Kings 8.21]

The covenant contained in the Ark was specifically the Ten Commandments:

Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Mount Sinai, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel when they left the land of Egypt. [1 Kings 8.9] 

Covenant is synonymous with the Ten Commandments. So, wholehearted devotion had everything to do with the Ten Commandments. This is known as the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant was all about wholehearted devotion.

Then, along comes Jesus with a New Covenant. And, the era of "grace" began. Somehow, over the years, this transition became misunderstood. Grace became associated with anything goes instead of wholehearted devotion. Nothing however, could be further from the truth because Jesus, the Truth, demanded wholehearted devotion not only to the Ten Commandments but beyond them:

Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” [Matthew 19.16-21]

Before the encounter above, Jesus had already defined wholehearted devotion as this:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)] 

While many view the New Covenant with a sigh of relief, the relief brought by Jesus had nothing to do with negating the Ten Commandments but instead everything to do with eliminating the need for the Temple and the ceremony (sacrifices, rituals) surrounding it. Wholehearted devotion was NEVER up for negotiation then and is NOT up for negotiation today!

A child is not taught manners so he might grow up and act like a barbarian! A child is taught manners under strict governance as a child so that when he is grown and on his own, he might exercise those manners without governance. Likewise, wholehearted devotion is not a thing of the past, but very contemporary.

Training wheels on a bicycle could represent the Temple and its protocols. The bicycle represents the Ten Commandments and wholehearted devotion. Jesus did not take our bicycle away, but removed the cumbersome training wheels. What's more, and contrary to popular religious beliefs, we were not given "the bicycle" to go where we wish! We were given "the bicycle" to do God's will.

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” [Matthew 22.34-40]

The Ten Commandments show us how to love God and how to love man. What's more, the Ten Commandments show us how to regard the Sabbath, Who, just happens to be Jesus: 

So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. [Colossians 2.16-17]

Wholehearted devotion remains man's calling. This devotion has specific manifestations to God, to Jesus, and to man. Nothing in the entire Bible supports the loosey-goosey "grace" far too popular among alleged "Christians" today. And, for the record, it is this same watered-down "grace," and the idolatry it give credence to, that is directly responsible for the gross powerlessness of the Church today.

If people would spend more time learning what the Bible actually says (wholehearted devotion) instead of learning what they want it to say (religion), there would be a revival like no other (albeit among only a few [Matthew 7.13-14]).

Father, may there be a return to Word and therefore notably powerful (actual Jesus-like) revival among those who wholeheartedly devote themselves to It - to Jesus, Who told us to give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him. So be it.