I love coffee.  I drink several half cups everyday.  Same with my pipe.  I will smoke several half bowls a day. 

Never mind that I am deluding my self into thinking I am drinking less coffee or smoking less, the point is that I think myself into believing I am not overdoing things that may be harmful to me. 

Half measures is an unsatisfying way of going about life. 

Have you ever started a job or a task only to leave it unfinished?  And then conveniently forgot about it?  My mind is so full of half baked ideas, the kind that never come to fruition. 

Spinning. 

While some of these measures may lead to mediocre results in some parts of our lives, others may prove much more detrimental.

  Especially to our spiritual growth.  Our spiritual welfare.

 If I plant flowers and do not water them and nurture them,  they will not attain their fullness of life.  They will wither and die.  I think it’s much the same with us when it comes to our relationship with God. 

Of course, God knows our every need, but he wants to hear it come across our lips and out from our hearts.  See it in our actions.  He’s a curious God.  He wants to hear from us what we are up to.  Half measures don’t get it!

Mark 12:30 tells us, “And you shall love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your mind and with ALL your strength.” (ESV).   Four times the word “all” appears in this one scripture.  Does that not tell us that God wants us to be all in?  

Many of us have good intentions.  But so often life gets in the way of our fulfilling those intentions.  We check our phones when we get up in the morning to see if we have any messages.  I don’t know about you but I never see any messages from God on my phone.

But, of course, those “important” messages we receive must be answered.  And promptly.  So, naturally, I must limit my meditation time with God.  Half measures.  Oh, I do manage to squeeze in a few moments for meditation but rarely do I take time to listen to see what God might have to say to me. 

Duties to perform.  Tasks to complete.  Dog needs to go for a walk.  Gotta get on with the day.   

Sometimes it feels like a chore to spend more time with our Lord.  No doubt, technology has been a good thing in a lot of ways but when it competes with God, it certainly takes us away from the “alls” mentioned in the scripture mentioned above. 

We say we want to have that contentment that comes from having a deeper relationship with God.  But does it show in or daily lives?  What is one to do to resolve this?   It seems to me if we want to realize the fullness of God, we must go full throttle.  No half measures. 

The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous tells us that, “Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.” 

 Complete abandon!  Yes, that means all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.  This is a tough command to follow and none of us will do it perfectly. 

But we can make the effort.  We can strive to make those half measures into full measures.  Striving for perfection is not a goal I see as realistic but progress is attainable.  By daily walking with God, we will see progress.  Our lives will be more fulfilling. 

Making at least some time, daily, for meditation, reading the word and listening for that still voice to speak to us requires us to make these a priority.  It takes work and commitment. 

Jesus did not just arrive at Resurrection Sunday without going through the agonizing walk to the Cross on Friday.  Neither will you nor I find the glory that can be ours without taking that difficult journey to the Cross.  It is a discipline to be recognized as necessary for fulfillment in Christ. 

Proverbs 19:21 in The Message version says,”We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails.”

I have a tendency to look for options to exercising the discipline needed to fulfill things God’s way.  Of course, I want to be a godly man but I just don’t always want to do the difficult work.  The discipline it takes seems, well, difficult.  Too time consuming.  I look for the easier, softer way but it never seems to produce good results.  But I trek on.  And I fail often.  

But the good news is that Christ never fails.  He succeeds!  He succeeds for me.  For us.  We get credits for his perfect life.  Just requires obedience, not perfection. Now that’s full measure!