Hardly, or Heartily?

Bible Reading Today: 1 Samuel 13-14

1 Samuel 13:14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

How "hard" are we following after God? Are we hardly connected, or heartily giving it everything we've got? Loose connections seem like no big deal at first, but over time, we end up having a dulled sense of awareness of God's presence! Think about a bad wire (or think back, because lots of things are wireless nowadays!). Sometimes if you move it the right way when it's plugged in, it can still work...but it's only a matter of time before it gives out completely! Also, connections with people are like that...there are some people we've lost touch with completely due to lack of consistent connection, hardly checking in instead of heartily keeping up! Sometimes, like Saul, God needs to stop us in our tracks, saying, "Thy kingdom shall not continue..." meaning we cannot continue without a serious connection to Jesus! Saul lost out. He did not wait on The Lord, or on the man of God in his life. He was very impatient, and worried about his good standing with people over his good standing with God. God should be our most heartily connection! Let's make that a priority focus daily! He loves us more heartily than any other! "and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;"

Colossians 3:23