He saith unto him, Follow me. – John 21:19
Recently, I needed to make a left turn onto the street that takes me to my home. Sometimes that street is very busy, so I have to drive halfway across it, wait until traffic is clear, and then safely finish my left turn. This particular trip home from the grocery store was one of those times when I was obliged to go halfway. As I was waiting to finish the rest of my turn, I thought about my walk with the Lord. Halfway can be good in some situations, but how important it is that we never go only halfway with the Lord!
The thought reminded me of a brother who sometimes testifies about the first time he came to church. He was with a friend and wanted to sit halfway from the front of the sanctuary, but his friend said, “Let’s go all the way.” This brother learned that there is no “halfway” with God: he had to commit himself totally to God before he received salvation.
Sometimes the Gospel sounds good to people when they first hear it, but when God starts to require consecrations, they are not willing to go all the way. They think the price is too high and will not give God what He requires. However, what they do not realize is that we cannot out-give God. If we go all the way with Him, we will find many blessings waiting for us—more blessings than we could ever imagine! God’s Word tells us, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The things we are holding back from God will pale in comparison to the blessings He has for those who will wholeheartedly follow Him.
On my trip back from the grocery store, I did eventually finish my left turn. Otherwise, I never would have arrived home! This idea also applies to those of us who wish to reach our heavenly home. If we only go halfway with the Lord, we will never make it to Heaven. But if we consecrate to Him all that we have, we are certain to obtain everlasting joy and happiness. Don’t hold back from God; go all the way!