Title
Whole-Hearted Obedience
Scripture
Then he said, “Take the arrows” so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times and stopped.
(2 Kings 13:18)
Devotional
The Lord God is looking for whole-hearted people. Elisha was a proven factor in Israel. The king knew that whatever Elisha said was of the Lord. Here, Elisha told the king to strike the ground with his arrows. King Joash was obedient, but to the minimum. His response was half-hearted. We, so often, are like king Joash; we will be obedient, but to the bare necessities. Joash most likely thought or even said, “I did what you told me to do.” Nevertheless, his obedience reflected his heart. Obedience to the Lord should come with enthusiasm. There should be an excitement and great anticipation in doing the Lord’s will. Yet, we often go about our walk with Christ with a “ho-hum” attitude. We are much like the disobedient child in the corner who says, “I may be sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside. Obedience to God requires our all.