This morning as I was reading, Joshua 14:8 jumped out at me.   

“but my fellow Israelites who went up with me 
made the hearts of the people melt in fear.
I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.”

I was struck by a phrase that described Caleb, “followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.”  A couple questions ran through my mind.  

• What does “following wholeheartedly” mean in Hebrew?
• What would it look like for me to follow God wholeheartedly?

To answer those questions, I began by looking up the Hebrew definitions.

• Followed <‘achar>: to follow one from behind, or at one’s side.  It’s a verb of “going”.  It’s a verb of action.
• Wholeheartedly <male’>: to fill or be full of; to do something thoroughly and strongly

As I paused to ponder those definitions, the Spirit brought three things to my attention..  

FIRST:  Since I know that God is always on the move, working and ministering to people, to follow Him, I too must be on the move.  So often I feel as though my walk with God is so stagnant.  Honestly, there have been times that I  feel my studies aren’t vibrant and “alive”.  There are periods when I feel like I’m kinda going through the motions and I hate that.  I keep doing what I know I should, looking forward to the time when things shift for me.  

BECAUSE GOD’S ON THE MOVE, SO SHOULD I BE.  

SECOND:  The definition of “follow” <‘aḥar> means to follow from behind or at one’s side., I saw two aspects of “following” there.

• To follow “from behind” denotes to me that a person realizes “I don’t know the direction to get to my destination, so I need to follow the one who does”.  
• To follow “from behind” also brings to my mind how a little girl, not having a stride as long as her parent, may lag behind a bit, but as long as she keeps her parent in sight, she keeps following, she will reach her destination.  
• To follow “at one’s side” shows the relational aspect of walking with God.  It’s sharing His company as you journey along.  I think of the times when I’ve gone on a trip, and along the way I have been chatting away with the person driving.  Before I knew it, we had reached our destination.  The journey didn’t seem so long because of who I was traveling with.  
• As I PAUSE TO PONDER that…just wow, I just got smacked in the chops!  Perhaps those times my walk with God hasn’t been vibrant because I hadn’t been choosing to talk with Him along my way.  The times that my prayer life isn’t as strong as it could be, could be the very reason that I struggle.  Just wow… 

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ONE YOU’RE FOLLOWING.

Oh Lord, please help me to keep my eyes fixed on You and not get distracted by things of this world, or by my emotions.  As I tire emotionally, please urge me by Your Spirit to lift up my eyes, to see You, and to follow YOU and not my emotions. 

THIRD.  As I look back at the definition of “wholeheartedly”, it states that “thoroughly” and “strongly” are earmarks of wholehearted following.  Below are some dictionary definitions to take note of.  

• (DIC) thoroughly: carried through to completion : exhaustive : marked by full detail : expending, showing, or involving diligent care and effort 
  • (DIC) diligent: characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort conscious exertion of power : hard work : a serious attempt to achieve something
• (DIC) strongly: to a strong or emphatic extent : to take decisive action : having or marked by great physical power : having moral or intellectual power : effective or efficient especially in a specified direction

PAUSE TO PONDER the phrase, “carry through to completion” from the definition of “thoroughly”.  I desire to “carry through to completion” my journey to “being like Jesus”, but if I’m going to be completely transparent here,  it’s not easy.  The Spirit just brought the apostle Paul to mind.  In 2 Timothy 4:7 he writes, “I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”  Paul displayed diligent care and effort as He followed Christ.  I desire to do the same. I think of the phrase “I have finished the race”. . .in a race, you get tired running, your body’s energy is sapped, but you keep going, knowing there is a finish line. 

I’m reading a book right now, written by an Olympic runner.  In it he chronicled his feelings, both physical and emotional, as he would run a race.  He would train daily, conditioning himself, building his stamina and endurance.  Then when race day came, he ran with the last lap in his mind, and as the last lap came around, he would muster up a burst of energy to win the race.  

DON’T GIVE UP AND QUIT!!

As I think about this from a spiritual perspective.  I need to be in the Word, studying, meditating, praying, serving—daily, so as the last lap of my earthly race grows near, I can run with all my might and win the crown.  But in order to do that, I have to purposefully and intentionally rid my life of any distractions and/or obstacles that will hinder that.  

“. . .let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles. 
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
~~Hebrews 12:1~~

 ~~ F O L L O W   W H O L E H E A R T E D L Y ~~