One of my favorite Rick Warren quotes is, "We become what we're committed to in life."  Today's Scripture focus, Deuteronomy 6:6 makes it clear that after our commitment to love God with all our hearts, souls, and strength the next commitment in life is to obeying God:  ⁶And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 

Wholehearted commitment to anyone or anything is rare.  Wholehearted commitment to obeying God is rarer still.  Commitment is devotion, it's being all in.  Wholehearted commitment is being all in not just with our words and actions, but with our hearts--the centers of our beings.  I like to consider myself an all in kind of guy, but when I'm honest I realize that I rarely am ALL in.  It's hard not to hold something back, to keep a little in reserve, just in case.  God wants us to hold nothing back.  He wants us to give everything we are and have in commitment to Him, trusting that when we have nothing left, He will renew the supply.

Do we trust Him?  That's THE question.  If we trust God, we'll obey Him.  Dale Milligan used to say that to love God is to trust Him enough to obey Him.  If we want to know how much we love God, then, the key is to ask how fervently are we obeying His commands.  We all know God gave the commands for our good, for our blessing, and yet the "flesh" as the Apostle Paul called our old nature, wants to be in control, wants us to be wholeheartedly committed to US, not to God.  That struggle causes great conflict internally and externally in our lives.  What would happen if we would commit ourselves wholeheartedly to the commands of God just for today?  Let's do it and see!

Heavenly Father, for today we commit ourselves to being wholeheartedly committed to Your commands.  Fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we may honor and glorify You with all we are and have. This we pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.