THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK DEVOTIONAL. The Candy Heart. By Deborah Shaffer April 21st, 2026 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.” Mark 12:30 She said she loved him with all her heart. She was constantly telling everyone she knew about the wonderful, endearing relationship she had with him. He adored her, and would sacrifice his all to keep her safe and happy. They had planned to spend a day together—each getting a small gift to give, a way of saying how special they were to each other, but without realizing it, they both chose hearts of chocolate to exchange—the exact same ones! She opened her treasure to reveal the luscious, tasty sweetness that was hers alone. Then, with excitement, he opened his—and his countenance fell. From the outside, it appeared glorious, but inside, things were not as they had seemed. Among the chocolate goodness were numerous empty places. So much was missing that it was obvious—her words of love were just that… words. The truth was revealed that she did not love him as she proclaimed. He wasn’t worthy of receiving all her heart. Silly, huh? Yes—if we’re talking about something frivolous like chocolate. However, it’s quite the opposite if we’re talking about our relationship with God. Too many times we claim to have a close, personal relationship, but we don’t surrender all to Him. We give Him parts of our heart, but hold back certain places for our selfish enjoyment. It’s so tempting to do, but complete surrender takes sacrifice. Jesus Christ loved us so much that He gave Himself totally—He gave His very life for us. He sacrificed all. Are we willing to give our whole heart to Him? Or just the bits and pieces we can spare?