Solely His

The name SolelyHis comes from one of my favorite, yet also one of what I consider the most challenging passages in Scripture, 2 Chronicles 16:9. It says this, "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him." I don’t know about you, but the desire of my life is that the Lord finds me in such a state…

That phrase, "fully committed," rings with tones of reckless abandonment and complete surrender. It describes one who holds nothing back, one who seeks the Lord with their entire being. It is an individual who is solely dependent on and committed to the Father, who in turn is this person's sole provider, Savior, and Lord.

Now who would not want to be in found in such a way – found as faithful and one who is strengthened, empowered and renewed by the Father? You may think of the words that will be said by the Lord in the end, “well done, good and faithful servant.” Do you desire this? I would confidently say, that if this were a question on a test, on paper every believing man or woman would answer a resounding YES, OF COURSE!

In the context of this passage, King Asa is the man to whom this challenging word was spoken. He was a good king who loved the Lord; he was obedient and faithful to the Father. He even went so far as to place his devotion to the Lord above his own family. He lived and reigned, faithful to the Lord, for around 35 years.

Yet after one decision (16:1-2) - after 35 years – just one shift in his perspective, good King Asa began a new season in his life. Asa removed his dependence from the Creator and placed it on the created. He no longer sought the Lord, but placed his trust and dependence on man.

These words, "the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth..." were spoken by a prophet to King Asa. The chilling implication to him, in that moment, was that he would not be found faithful; he did not fit that description. He would not be strengthened by the Lord because his heart was not fully committed to the Father. If he could have answered the question on a test, I'm sure he would have said he trusted God. But his actions displayed something else, for his response to this rebuke was not one of repentance, but rather continued disobedience to the Lord. The remaining 6 years of his reign were not filled with strength, protection, and blessing, but were met with disease, war and eventually death.

Asa's unrepentant heart blocked the favor of the Lord from his life. No matter what our words may say, our actions display what we truly believe. May we not block the Lord's favor from our lives by not living fully committed to Him. May we live as though he is our sole source of truth, of love, of salvation, and of hope. May our concerns and cares not distract us from our commitment and faith in Jesus Christ. May our dependence be completely and solely rooted in His sovereign power. May we be solely His every moment of every day.

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Until next time...

sc

Initial post...

Greetings!

Starting a blog has been on my "to-do" list for some time now... yet continually placed on the "back-burner" of life. Ever been there??? Yet, here it is... the long awaited and greatly anticipated BLOG. Well, that may be stretching it a bit... My hope and prayer is that this becomes a source of spiritual refreshment, challenge, and joy to those who read it. Nevertheless, a blog would not be a blog if there were not an occasional random post with little other purpose than entertainment. :) So here begins the journey...

See you soon..

sc