Wholehearted

F ormer Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson motivated his team before and after a victory over the archrival Washington Redskins. He said, “When you come up against a 1,000-pound gorilla, you don’t hit him lightly; you hit him with everything you’ve got.”

That is true in the realm of athletics and in life. Nothing you do that is worthwhile, nothing that you do that will last for God’s kingdom can be done halfway. It has to be wholehearted.

Injuries in sports often occur, not when someone is going full speed, but rather when they are doing it halfway, trying not to get hurt.

To be who God has called you to be, as a man of God in your family, in your church, or at your work, what you do cannot be done halfway. You must be wholehearted.

Many years ago someone shared this quote with me, about how we are to live our lives:  “Excellence in everything, and EVERYTHING TO THE GLORY OF GOD!”

What that means is that I want to live my life in such a way that I want to do things the right way, the excellent way. I want to do all of those things, not so that people will think more of me, but ultimately I want to live, act, speak in a way that brings honor and glory to God.

Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? ”In this verse, three actions will help you to live wholeheartedly all the days of your life.

“To do justice”
Always be a man who is willing to do what is right. That won’t always be popular and it won’t always be easy, but it’s right.

Don’t take the easy way out in any area of your life—in school, in your work, in your relationships. Be a person who people can look at your life and say, “they stand for what is right.”

“Love kindness”
Be one that seeks to encourage someone in word or in action. The world is filled with jerks. Don’t be one of them.

Be the type of person, the type of leader who is marked by kindness.

“Walk humbly”
To walk humbly shows that you have incredible strength and that you are secure in who you are.

As one my coach used to tell our team,to walk humbly means, “act like you’ve been here before.”To walk humbly shows your complete confidence in who you are but also whose you are.

When you know who you are in Christ, then you can be who you are because of your confidence and trust in His plan for your life.

You can go out with the focus and wholehearted devotion to hit whatever 1,000-pound gorilla may be in your way on the field of life with everything you have.