It's tough to obey ALL the rules!

But Jehu did not obey the Law of the lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit. 2 Kings 10:31
          My family, my friends, and my students know I am certainly not perfect. I AM trying to do the best for all the people I live with each day. I had this discussion with my students yesterday. I have a real difficult time disobeying the rules I am given. I had a simple request from one of my GREAT students. She wanted to go unlock the door to the classroom. She asked for my keys. I wouldn't give them to her. I told her I would rather be inconvenienced, go, and open the door for her, than disobey the rule. (We have a staff rule that you are NOT to give your keys to a student) Really, what was she going to do? Would she go and get into other rooms and cause havoc? Would she quickly go out and duplicate the keys? NO, seh is a wonderful student and would NOT do that. The rule is the rule. I just can't convince myself to violate rules ON PURPOSE. My students were shocked. They said other teachers do it. Yet, I heard a little respect in their voices that I refused to disobey the rule, even though it might not have been that big a deal, even though I had to go out of my way. 

          My life is just like that. I don't go out and intentionally sin. I am not perfect. I do sin, I do make mistakes. I do violate rules. IN my heart of hearts, I try. I don't want to make mistakes. I am praying constantly for help in tackling the sins of my life. I am not proud of them and I know I need the Lord to change.

So, what really does it mean to follow the Lord with all your heart? Does it mean you are perfect?  Can you not make any mistakes as a Christian? NO. Following Christ with all your heart means you do not just worship on Sunday. IT means you continue to grow in your faith and you are striving to reach the perfection of Christ. It means you know your sins, repent, and genuinely work to remove the sin of your life. If you refuse to "turn from your sins", you refuse to STOP, then you are not obeying the heart and soul of our faith. 

Dear Lord, I do ask you to forgive my sins, the times I hurt others and the time I am not the follower you want me to be. I pray for your strength to change my own life. I pray you do a perfect work within me. I love you Lord and promise to spend time in your word, to pray to you, and to strive to follow your laws. I praise you for your patience with me. Amen!