And this I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is seemly, and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord. 

In the church, we talk about "doing devotions" or having a "devotional time." What does it truly mean to live a "devout life?" Or to be truly "devoted to God?"

 
What is True Devotion?

1) While the Bible testifies that a life of true devotion surely exists, there are also many false ideas and mistaken understandings of true devotion. Unless you know which is real, you may make a mistake and waste your energy pursuing an empty spirituality.

2) We all color devotion according to our own likings and dispositions. All true and living devotion begins with the love of God. True devotion is neither more nor less than a very real love of God. Although, it is not always of the same kind. Devotion is simply spiritual activity and vitality by which Divine Love works in us.

3) Devotion is a lifestyle of surrender, availability, and loving obedience. Devotion is not simply doing good; it is loving goodness! It is a passion for pleasing God. (See John 8:29) To be devout means a readiness to perform the deeds of love. Devotion is a holy love for the will of God.

1) The world runs down a life of true devotion. It says it is impossible to live such a life. And even trying to live a life devoted to God will make you miserable, unhappy, unfulfilled, and a downright unpleasant person!

a) Jesus tells us that a devout life is very sweet, very happy, and very good. Jesus promises us that if we choose a life of devotion to him, he will give us "rest for our souls." (See Matthew 11:28-30)

b) A life devoted to Jesus is the place where you will find that rest. A life of devotion will lead you to the balance you seek and to a radiant beauty which is your life centered in God.

2) Watch a bee hovering over the flower. The juices it gathers are bitter, but the bee turns them all to honey.

a) The devout soul encounters bitter things along its path of devotion, but they are all turned to sweetness by the power of that same devotion. So devotion is the real spiritual sweetness which takes away all bitterness from dying to ourselves.

b) Devotion cures the poor of sadness, and the rich of presumption; it keeps the oppressed from feeling desolate, and the prosperous from insolence; it averts sadness from the lonely, and sinful indulgence from social life; it knows how to abound and how to suffer want; how to profit by honor or contempt; it accepts gladness and sadness with an even mind, and fills our hearts with a mysterious sweetness.

1) When God created the world, in Genesis 1:12, he commanded each tree to bear fruit after its kind. God also bids Christians—the living trees of His Church—to bring forth fruits of devotion, each one according to his kind and vocation.

a) A different exercise of devotion is required of each—the athlete, the artisan, the teacher, the farmer, the pastor, the wife and mother. Furthermore all spiritual practice must be modified according to the strength, the calling, and the duties of each individual.

b) Would it be fitting that a teacher should seek to lead the solitary life of a monk? Or could a wife and mother practice the same kind of devotional activities as a pastor? Can the missionary and the soldier have an identical spiritual journey? Should the spiritual practices of a farmer be the same as those of a CEO of a large company?

c) Wouldn’t such "devotional sameness" be ridiculous, ill-fitting, and intolerable? Nevertheless, such mistakes happen all the time. The church itself falsely promotes a "one-size-fits-all" spirituality –leaving guilty souls, disappointed lives, and frustrated servants of God, all of whom have hearts sincerely seeking a life of true devotion.

2) True devotion hinders nothing but perfects everything. Any spiritual instruction that runs counter to your true calling and rightful vocation is false devotion.

a) Everybody fulfills their special calling better when subject to the influence of authentic devotion. Every kind of occupation is more acceptable and better performed where it is guided by true devotion.

3) True devotion to God surfaces everywhere there are hearts who truly long to know him.

4) Be sure that wherever you are, it is there you may and must aim at a life of true devotion.

a) The shortest and surest path to a life devoted to God is the life you now have.

i) The path starts from here.

ii) The path begins now.

Map to Calvary        What's New        Sunday Messages        Updates