- Joined
- Oct 26, 2007
- Messages
- 12,539
"I [was] forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as [it was] in my heart. 8 "Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God. Joshua 14:7-8 NKJV
Mathematician Blaise Pascal’s famous writings—about humans possessing a God-shaped vacuum that can be satisfied only by God Himself—divides human beings into two types: those who live hole-heartedly or wholeheartedly.
The religious leaders in Luke 14 were the hole-hearted kind. Rather than allowing God to fill them with the indescribable happiness that resulted each time Jesus healed someone, they despised Him for not following their rules. They had tried to fill the hole with self-righteousness and the praise of men (14:1-15).
Hole-hearted living leads to missed blessings, like the blessings of the promised land Caleb’s fellow Israelites missed when they worried about their lack of ability rather than trusting God’s abilities (Joshua 14:7-8.
Wholehearted living is what Pascal wanted for his readers; it’s what Joshua wanted for the Israelites; it’s what Jesus wanted for those He healed; it’s what the psalmist wanted for “the next generation” (71:17-18); and it’s what God wants for you!
Prayer: Lord, fill the God-shaped vacuum in my soul with You!
Mathematician Blaise Pascal’s famous writings—about humans possessing a God-shaped vacuum that can be satisfied only by God Himself—divides human beings into two types: those who live hole-heartedly or wholeheartedly.
The religious leaders in Luke 14 were the hole-hearted kind. Rather than allowing God to fill them with the indescribable happiness that resulted each time Jesus healed someone, they despised Him for not following their rules. They had tried to fill the hole with self-righteousness and the praise of men (14:1-15).
Hole-hearted living leads to missed blessings, like the blessings of the promised land Caleb’s fellow Israelites missed when they worried about their lack of ability rather than trusting God’s abilities (Joshua 14:7-8.
Wholehearted living is what Pascal wanted for his readers; it’s what Joshua wanted for the Israelites; it’s what Jesus wanted for those He healed; it’s what the psalmist wanted for “the next generation” (71:17-18); and it’s what God wants for you!
Prayer: Lord, fill the God-shaped vacuum in my soul with You!
