Together # 8
A Together of Attitude
A Together of Attitude
Be Devoted to One Another
copyright by Dick Wulf, 2018
Set yourself aside for closest Christian friends and relatives and their needs; be committed to other believers within reason; be loyal and faithful to all believers.
Mark 12:30; Luke 16:13; John 15:12-13; Rom 12:10; 1 John 3:14
Our loving God wants us to be devoted to one another.
Devotion is an attitude Christians are to have that makes willing obedience to Scripture in the ways of the Togethers easier. It is far easier to put up with other people’s objectionable behavior if we are devoted to them. For example, parents are devoted to their children and bear with a lot of objectionable behavior as a result. Parents who do not have an attitude of devotion to their kids have to force themselves to do what is required of them.
Biblical love, defined as self-denial for another’s good, is certainly easier if we have decided to be devoted to one another. Devoted love is a gift. Love given out of obligation lessens its value. Unfortunately, many Bible translations have downgraded the concept of devotion.
Devotion is an attitude Christians are to have that makes willing obedience to Scripture in the ways of the Togethers easier. It is far easier to put up with other people’s objectionable behavior if we are devoted to them. For example, parents are devoted to their children and bear with a lot of objectionable behavior as a result. Parents who do not have an attitude of devotion to their kids have to force themselves to do what is required of them.
Biblical love, defined as self-denial for another’s good, is certainly easier if we have decided to be devoted to one another. Devoted love is a gift. Love given out of obligation lessens its value. Unfortunately, many Bible translations have downgraded the concept of devotion.
Be devoted to one another in love.
Rom 12:10 (NIV)
Rom 12:10 (NIV)
Notice that Romans 12:10 in the New International Bible reads “be devoted”. But, the newer English Standard Version translates the Greek as “brotherly affection.
Love one another with brotherly affection.
Rom 12:10 (ESV)
Rom 12:10 (ESV)
Which sounds more like living for God, love with “brotherly affection” or love with “devotion”? We can have warm, fuzzy feelings for one another and meet the requirements of the ESV translation, but do we really think God would declare brotherly affection as sufficient love? The Bible’s “agape love” is self denial for another person’s good. That sounds a whole lot more like devotion than simple brotherly affection.
Devotion asks a lot from us and matches the Bible’s extremely important commands and challenges for Christians. No one would say out loud that we should not be devoted Christians. Devotion underlies the best of our faith. Devotion powers the strong love that defines us a followers of Christ.
Devotion asks a lot from us and matches the Bible’s extremely important commands and challenges for Christians. No one would say out loud that we should not be devoted Christians. Devotion underlies the best of our faith. Devotion powers the strong love that defines us a followers of Christ.
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35
if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35
Devotion to one another flows from devotion to God. The greatest commandment clearly requires total devotion to God.
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”
Matt 22:36-38
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Love with devotion really is the only way to love God with everything we have. And, for Christian relationships, especially Christian friendships, families and marriages, love with devotion is the very strong love that results from our new life in Jesus. Devoted love brings these relationships alive! Without it, our closest Christian relationships seem dead.
We know that we have crossed over from death to real life because we are devoted to true love for our brothers and sisters. Anyone who does not love lives among corpses.
1 John 3:14 (The Voice Bible)
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We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
1 John 3:14 (ESV)
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“Devotion” at dictionary.com is defined as (1) “profound dedication: consecration”, and (2) “earnest attachment to a cause, person, etc.” Notice the words “profound” and “earnest” in those definitions. This sounds an awful lot like 100% commitment. Just imagine the implications of such devotion in our Christian friendships. It is more natural to think of being devoted to family members and spouses, but even there, devotion might not be “profound dedication”.
Devotion to one another stems from devotion to God. Devoted love is the love of the kingdom of heaven. It is not reluctant, resentful, or obligated love. Devotion is joyful love with loyalty, faithfulness, and priority. Devoted love is self-denial for another’s good all of the time. It is far more than an emotion. It is complete dedication.
Devotion to God and one another requires loyalty to God. Consider how loyal He is to us.
A believer who is fearful of mentioning Jesus is little devoted. He or she may claim to be devoted to God, but it is lying to oneself and dangerous. It would be like a husband or wife hiding that he or she is married when out in public. Lack of loyalty makes devotion impossible.
In friendships lack of loyalty yields gossiping and betrayal that hurts. Devoted friends protect rather than harm. They do not take undo advantage. Family members do not speak poorly of one another to gain friends or special attention. Such betrayal is the opposite of devotion and loyalty. Husbands and wives do not strive to outdo each other if they are loyal. That would be like the left hand trying to take something away from the right hand. Devotion in the “one flesh” relationship of marriage is profound dedication of two people spiritually attached to each other.
Devotion to God and one another requires faithfulness to God. Consider how faithful He is to us.
Devotion to one another stems from devotion to God. Devoted love is the love of the kingdom of heaven. It is not reluctant, resentful, or obligated love. Devotion is joyful love with loyalty, faithfulness, and priority. Devoted love is self-denial for another’s good all of the time. It is far more than an emotion. It is complete dedication.
Devotion to God and one another requires loyalty to God. Consider how loyal He is to us.
A believer who is fearful of mentioning Jesus is little devoted. He or she may claim to be devoted to God, but it is lying to oneself and dangerous. It would be like a husband or wife hiding that he or she is married when out in public. Lack of loyalty makes devotion impossible.
In friendships lack of loyalty yields gossiping and betrayal that hurts. Devoted friends protect rather than harm. They do not take undo advantage. Family members do not speak poorly of one another to gain friends or special attention. Such betrayal is the opposite of devotion and loyalty. Husbands and wives do not strive to outdo each other if they are loyal. That would be like the left hand trying to take something away from the right hand. Devotion in the “one flesh” relationship of marriage is profound dedication of two people spiritually attached to each other.
Devotion to God and one another requires faithfulness to God. Consider how faithful He is to us.
If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
Faithfulness to God includes so many things, including acting like forgiven people who continually walk away from unrighteousness to do what is good. Devoted friends are faithful to remember one another’s birthdays as well as each other’s difficult challenges. Unfaithful friends abandon one another when they forget to ask about the very important things in one another’s lives. Family members are unfaithful when they do not take into account the effects of their actions on all others in the family. Devoted family members are those who are faithful to consider the needs of other family members as well as do their chores to contribute to family functioning. Devoted husbands and wives are faithful to their marriage vows and to their spouse’s well-being and biblical life goals.
Devotion to God and one another requires making Him top priority. Consider how high priority He makes us.
In return for God making us a priority to such an extreme that He had His Son die for us, we should be completely devoted to God and put Him first. Likewise, when friends are devoted, they make time for one another. In a family, devotion to one another means having the attitude that every member is a priority to a reasonable extent. Devoted parents make caring for their children a high priority over most everything else. And children need to learn that they are not each the center of the universe and must at times make others a priority. To obey this biblical instruction for devotion, husbands and wives need to make each other a priority concerning basic needs and enjoyment of life.
We are to set ourselves aside for God first, and then He wants us to set ourselves aside for other believers. Devotion at the highest level of commitment and dedication is to be given to those closest Christian friends and family members. Availability, loyalty, and faithfulness to these selected few is required for devotion to be the expression of biblical love.
Opportunity to Become More and More Like Jesus Christ
Devotion to God and one another requires making Him top priority. Consider how high priority He makes us.
In return for God making us a priority to such an extreme that He had His Son die for us, we should be completely devoted to God and put Him first. Likewise, when friends are devoted, they make time for one another. In a family, devotion to one another means having the attitude that every member is a priority to a reasonable extent. Devoted parents make caring for their children a high priority over most everything else. And children need to learn that they are not each the center of the universe and must at times make others a priority. To obey this biblical instruction for devotion, husbands and wives need to make each other a priority concerning basic needs and enjoyment of life.
We are to set ourselves aside for God first, and then He wants us to set ourselves aside for other believers. Devotion at the highest level of commitment and dedication is to be given to those closest Christian friends and family members. Availability, loyalty, and faithfulness to these selected few is required for devotion to be the expression of biblical love.
Opportunity to Become More and More Like Jesus Christ
God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, looked down on Dillon and his family. The divine decision was that action needed to be taken to help Dillon become more like Jesus in devotion to his family.
Dillon delegated almost everything regarding the children to his wife Jen, and she had her hands full with three kids. Dillon also did not appreciate all the work Jen did, sometimes accusing her, “What did you do all day, just watch television?” The Holy Spirit went to work. First, the Spirit gave a job in the company where Dillon worked to a Christian who reflected Jesus in his family relationships. It did not take long for Dillon to meet Carter who quickly identified himself as a Christian. Dillon then revealed his own faith in Christ. The two became friends, and the plan of the Holy Spirit progressed. Carter often talked of things he did with his four children, exposing the joy of true devotion to his family. Dillon began to feel guilt working to convict him to pay more attention to his children and not go fishing so often or hole up in his garage remodeling his old 1924 Model T Ford. Phase Two of the Holy Spirit’s plan for Dillon to be transformed into Christlike devotion to his wife was then put in motion. The Spirit put Jen in the hospital for an operation that would take her out of her role with the children for three weeks. Dillon had to take off work to take care of the kids. Two things followed to please Jesus. First Dillon came face to face with all the work Jen did while he was a work. He was exhausted every single day and began to wonder how his wife did it all. Secondly, Dillon thoroughly enjoyed being with his kids because he did some of the things Carter had done with his children. By the time Jen got home from the hospital and back on her feet, she noticed she had a new husband. He was devoted to her, pitching in when he got home from work. And he was paying a lot more attention to the kids. |
Devotion to one another will make us radically more like Him. Jesus was totally devoted to His Father. And He was and is totally devoted to us. We have the privilege of yielding to the Holy Spirit’s power to make us more and more devoted to God and one another.
Consider how much Jesus is devoted to us in the promise of His presence.
Consider how much Jesus is devoted to us in the promise of His presence.
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have,
for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matt 28:20
for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matt 28:20
If we can be more and more available to those Christians closest to us, we can grow into the devotion that is Christlike.
Consider also our Lord’s devotion to us as seen in His prayer to the Father just before He died on the cross for us.
Consider also our Lord’s devotion to us as seen in His prayer to the Father just before He died on the cross for us.
I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. . . . And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. . . . Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
John 17:12-13, 19, 24
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That is devotion! If we want to truly become like Jesus in devotion, we will persist until we can make these kind of statements in prayer regarding those in our Christian Inner Circles.
To whom is it really possible to be so devoted? To a minimal extent, to all Christians. But, really, such devotion is practical only for those closest of Christian friends and family members. Deep devotion comes most natural to family members and spouses. This is good, but to stretch our devotion to be like Christ’s devotion, we need a few genuinely close friends. Truly close friends are essential for a strong Christian life of faith.
In terms of devotion in the higher, biblical sense, close friends need to be distinguished from occasional friends and superficial acquaintances. Our Christian Inner Circles include really close friends, friends with whom we are less close, and close Christian relatives, but not mere acquaintances. Since we cannot be devoted to more than a few people effectively, close friends, family members and spouses are the ones to whom we can be significantly devoted.
We have many acquaintances at our organizational churches. We hardly know them very well to be all that involved with them in life. Then there are friends with whom we have a little more contact, perhaps limited to small group participation where we can occasionally be somewhat devoted.
However, we are mutually interwoven with close friends, family members and spouses. These are the relationships most essential to life with Jesus and obedience to the Together Scriptures. Devotion to one another in these relationships is required if our faith is to be enhanced and our relationship with God developed.
Therefore, every Christian should have three close friends he or she is devoted to and who return that devotion, perhaps only two if the spouse is a Christian. This might not happen automatically for some of us. Overly social Christians may have the problem of too many closer friends to be devoted to them all. These extraverted believers need to choose a few and discuss with them being such close friends that devotion can be deep and reciprocal. On the other hand, more introverted Christians may have trouble meeting people and finding three really close friends. They will need to act outside of their comfort zone, at least for the time it takes to find and develop three close friends. If they can look for people like themselves who do not so easily initiate conversations, they will find others as eager as they to find those kind of close relationships that are critical to their faith.
It is more natural to be devoted to our families because of our increased responsibility for family members for whom we have deeper love in our hearts. Unfortunately, this devotion does not come so easily to children in the family. Therefore, Christian parents must teach devotion by everyone to everyone in the family. Profound dedication and earnest attachment to siblings and parents must be learned by children. Parents can improve in level of devotion as well.
Devotion to husband or wife is given lip service by many, but has its finest example in strong marriages. Usually, devotion is highest during courtship, fairly strong in the first few months or years of a marriage, is challenged when marriage has problems to work out, and exceptional in latter years. But there are many aspects in marriage that are lacking in the kind of devotion for which the Bible calls.
Let’s not pass up this wonderful opportunity to become more like Jesus in devotion. Let’s enter into the heavenly life that is most about relationships rather than experiences. Let’s make people higher priority than ourselves to a reasonable extent.
Opportunity to Worship God
To whom is it really possible to be so devoted? To a minimal extent, to all Christians. But, really, such devotion is practical only for those closest of Christian friends and family members. Deep devotion comes most natural to family members and spouses. This is good, but to stretch our devotion to be like Christ’s devotion, we need a few genuinely close friends. Truly close friends are essential for a strong Christian life of faith.
In terms of devotion in the higher, biblical sense, close friends need to be distinguished from occasional friends and superficial acquaintances. Our Christian Inner Circles include really close friends, friends with whom we are less close, and close Christian relatives, but not mere acquaintances. Since we cannot be devoted to more than a few people effectively, close friends, family members and spouses are the ones to whom we can be significantly devoted.
We have many acquaintances at our organizational churches. We hardly know them very well to be all that involved with them in life. Then there are friends with whom we have a little more contact, perhaps limited to small group participation where we can occasionally be somewhat devoted.
However, we are mutually interwoven with close friends, family members and spouses. These are the relationships most essential to life with Jesus and obedience to the Together Scriptures. Devotion to one another in these relationships is required if our faith is to be enhanced and our relationship with God developed.
Therefore, every Christian should have three close friends he or she is devoted to and who return that devotion, perhaps only two if the spouse is a Christian. This might not happen automatically for some of us. Overly social Christians may have the problem of too many closer friends to be devoted to them all. These extraverted believers need to choose a few and discuss with them being such close friends that devotion can be deep and reciprocal. On the other hand, more introverted Christians may have trouble meeting people and finding three really close friends. They will need to act outside of their comfort zone, at least for the time it takes to find and develop three close friends. If they can look for people like themselves who do not so easily initiate conversations, they will find others as eager as they to find those kind of close relationships that are critical to their faith.
It is more natural to be devoted to our families because of our increased responsibility for family members for whom we have deeper love in our hearts. Unfortunately, this devotion does not come so easily to children in the family. Therefore, Christian parents must teach devotion by everyone to everyone in the family. Profound dedication and earnest attachment to siblings and parents must be learned by children. Parents can improve in level of devotion as well.
Devotion to husband or wife is given lip service by many, but has its finest example in strong marriages. Usually, devotion is highest during courtship, fairly strong in the first few months or years of a marriage, is challenged when marriage has problems to work out, and exceptional in latter years. But there are many aspects in marriage that are lacking in the kind of devotion for which the Bible calls.
Let’s not pass up this wonderful opportunity to become more like Jesus in devotion. Let’s enter into the heavenly life that is most about relationships rather than experiences. Let’s make people higher priority than ourselves to a reasonable extent.
Opportunity to Worship God
Slowly it dawned on Anthony that his wife Kennedy was thoroughly devoted to him, but not much to God. She would always ask Anthony what he wanted. She would often ask him what he thought about something. But, Kennedy did not often ask God what he wanted or thought. Anthony asked God what He thought and wanted done about this situation.
The Lord impressed upon Anthony that although he asked what God thought and wanted, he rarely mentioned to Kennedy that he had done so. Anthony thought about this and realized that he was self-conscious about sounding too religious and that shut him down. He decided to tell Kennedy that he often consulted God and apologized for not showing her his devotion to their Lord. He asked his wife if they could be more open about their conversations with and assignments from God, even to the point of asking each other to pray and seek confirmation. Kennedy is no longer more devoted to Anthony than she is to God. She always thought that she was sufficiently devoted to God because of her enjoyment of Christian music and study of the Bible. Then she realized that if she truly were more dedicated to God than to Anthony, she would consult Him more than her husband. Not that she stopped asking Anthony what he thought and wanted, just that she consulted God more often. The Lord showed Kennedy that this new level of devotion was worship. |
God has given us the power and privilege in Christian relationships to be devoted to one another. When we do so, we worship God by reflecting back to Him his great devotion to us. The more difficult the devotion, the more pure the worship.
If devotion to one another is worship, then we want to see ways that such devotion can play out in our Christian friendships, families, and marriages. This is where we have the most contact and, therefore, daily opportunities for devotion to blossom and flower into worship.
Devotion to those in our Christian Inner Circles can include availability mimicking God’s availability to us. We can ask God for help at any time of day.
Parents and spouses in families and marriages usually make themselves available whenever they are needed. When this happens, the purity of their devotion to a child or spouse can be measured by their attitude about having to go out of their way to help when convenient and when not.
However, devotion in friendships requires more willingness. Whereas parents and spouses have little choice to be approached for help, friends do have a choice. We must agree in our closest friendships to be there for one another when life gets really rough. Again, attitude is the measure of the purity of devotion. We want to strive to be equally content to be approached for help by friends or family members. If a friend calls in the middle of the night because of worry or fear, we should accept it as natural, just as we would if it was our child waking us up because of a sore throat. Since this is less than convenient, devotion to friends is great worship.
Christian parents who are diligent in teaching their children the ways of God will help them to be available to their siblings in dozens of ways. Older children can be shown that playing with younger brothers and sisters is worship because God stoops down to do things with us. Younger children can be shown that encouraging older siblings in their challenges, like music lessons or a sport, is also worship. Chores can be taught to be contributions to the family. Making time to do them, which is rarely desired, requires the availability of devotion to family. Thus, doing chores can graduate from a necessary evil to an expression of worship because God also does so much for us.
Some parents put their own recreational pursuits ahead of the needs of their children. Fathers who go fishing with their friends more than take their children to the zoo are not all that devoted and missing a chance to reflect God’s doing things with us and for us. Mothers who avoid inconvenience to intervene in childhood squabbles and teach the right way to deal with conflict because they are busy watching television, on the computer, or even cleaning house are likewise passing up a chance at devotion through availability that will reflect God’s intervention for our good when needed.
Husbands and wives have their challenges in devotion to one another. Daily life and more familiarity with each other makes it necessary, if they want to live for God, to bear with the other’s irritating behaviors, carry the burdens of the other’s sinfulness however it shows up, forgive one another often, warn about Satan’s temptations and attacks, to name just a few of the 65 Togethers necessary to make the marriage successful and enjoyable.
In marriage, devotion can be stretched more toward purity when husbands and wives courageously take up their helping role with each other and aid one another to heal. If there has been serious hurtfulness during childhood years, there will be dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors to help the husband or wife overcome.
While it is easier to complain about being misunderstood, or to feel sorry for oneself for having been mistreated, or angry in marriage, it takes growth in devotion to try to help instead. There are unconscious messages in the spouse’s head that spark dysfunctional behaviors such as negative self-image, fear of close relationships, angry outbursts, over-spending, and a hundred more evils designed by the devil. Husbands and wives helping one another to deal with hurts from the past will need to do so for months or years, and only the truly devoted can endure the task.
Marital devotion that goes through so many ups and downs on the path toward healing is very great worship. God is constantly walking beside us and helping us appropriate the newness of life in Jesus rather than the old life of pain. When a husband and wife stay in the marriage that is painful in order to help each other, they are acting very much like God, reflecting to Him the patience and love He shows to those who are His. Often marital counseling will be needed, and devotion makes spending the money and making the necessary changes bearable. The importance of devotion in marriage is obvious. What is not so obvious is that it is worship, the highest calling of Christians.
Devotion requires truthfulness when it is uncomfortable, availability when it is inconvenient, and help when it is costly. Giving such devotion to close friends and family members and spouses brings worship that honors our Lord.
How Used in Battle to Defeat Evil and Satan
If devotion to one another is worship, then we want to see ways that such devotion can play out in our Christian friendships, families, and marriages. This is where we have the most contact and, therefore, daily opportunities for devotion to blossom and flower into worship.
Devotion to those in our Christian Inner Circles can include availability mimicking God’s availability to us. We can ask God for help at any time of day.
Parents and spouses in families and marriages usually make themselves available whenever they are needed. When this happens, the purity of their devotion to a child or spouse can be measured by their attitude about having to go out of their way to help when convenient and when not.
However, devotion in friendships requires more willingness. Whereas parents and spouses have little choice to be approached for help, friends do have a choice. We must agree in our closest friendships to be there for one another when life gets really rough. Again, attitude is the measure of the purity of devotion. We want to strive to be equally content to be approached for help by friends or family members. If a friend calls in the middle of the night because of worry or fear, we should accept it as natural, just as we would if it was our child waking us up because of a sore throat. Since this is less than convenient, devotion to friends is great worship.
Christian parents who are diligent in teaching their children the ways of God will help them to be available to their siblings in dozens of ways. Older children can be shown that playing with younger brothers and sisters is worship because God stoops down to do things with us. Younger children can be shown that encouraging older siblings in their challenges, like music lessons or a sport, is also worship. Chores can be taught to be contributions to the family. Making time to do them, which is rarely desired, requires the availability of devotion to family. Thus, doing chores can graduate from a necessary evil to an expression of worship because God also does so much for us.
Some parents put their own recreational pursuits ahead of the needs of their children. Fathers who go fishing with their friends more than take their children to the zoo are not all that devoted and missing a chance to reflect God’s doing things with us and for us. Mothers who avoid inconvenience to intervene in childhood squabbles and teach the right way to deal with conflict because they are busy watching television, on the computer, or even cleaning house are likewise passing up a chance at devotion through availability that will reflect God’s intervention for our good when needed.
Husbands and wives have their challenges in devotion to one another. Daily life and more familiarity with each other makes it necessary, if they want to live for God, to bear with the other’s irritating behaviors, carry the burdens of the other’s sinfulness however it shows up, forgive one another often, warn about Satan’s temptations and attacks, to name just a few of the 65 Togethers necessary to make the marriage successful and enjoyable.
In marriage, devotion can be stretched more toward purity when husbands and wives courageously take up their helping role with each other and aid one another to heal. If there has been serious hurtfulness during childhood years, there will be dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors to help the husband or wife overcome.
While it is easier to complain about being misunderstood, or to feel sorry for oneself for having been mistreated, or angry in marriage, it takes growth in devotion to try to help instead. There are unconscious messages in the spouse’s head that spark dysfunctional behaviors such as negative self-image, fear of close relationships, angry outbursts, over-spending, and a hundred more evils designed by the devil. Husbands and wives helping one another to deal with hurts from the past will need to do so for months or years, and only the truly devoted can endure the task.
Marital devotion that goes through so many ups and downs on the path toward healing is very great worship. God is constantly walking beside us and helping us appropriate the newness of life in Jesus rather than the old life of pain. When a husband and wife stay in the marriage that is painful in order to help each other, they are acting very much like God, reflecting to Him the patience and love He shows to those who are His. Often marital counseling will be needed, and devotion makes spending the money and making the necessary changes bearable. The importance of devotion in marriage is obvious. What is not so obvious is that it is worship, the highest calling of Christians.
Devotion requires truthfulness when it is uncomfortable, availability when it is inconvenient, and help when it is costly. Giving such devotion to close friends and family members and spouses brings worship that honors our Lord.
How Used in Battle to Defeat Evil and Satan
Allison and London became close friends in college when they met in a Christian fellowship group. Allison came from a Christian family and her parents were quite devoted to Jesus Christ. London was a fairly new Christian and full of spiritual life.
So alive in her new faith, London thought about God in just about everything. Her faith was always on the top of her mind. Allison, however, had a stale faith. She had always been a Christian since as far back as she could remember. In high school she thought her family overdid Christianity and missed out on a lot of fun. So, now in college Allison was into parties and drinking. London was confused about Allison. After all Jesus had done for Allison, how could she be so little devoted to Him? As London grew more familiar with spiritual truth, she came to understand the devil’s strategy to take Christians further away from devotion to God through attractive temptations. She began to challenge the secular culture’s popular conception that partying and drinking was the height of enjoyment . London began her counterattack by making fun of the television beer party commercials she and Allison would see when watching their college’s football games. Allison would not participate in the ridicule, but London kept humorously challenging the presumptions in the commercials that the pinnacle of life was standing around drinking and laughing. As London’s faith grew to understand the deeper joy in Christian relationships, she began inserting one-liners about the value of loving and serving others being devotion to God rather than “suds”, as she called beer. What made her so convincing to Allison was that London had no problem with drinking a beer now and then, but for her it was not an avenue to pleasure. Devotion to God is what made life truly worth living. In particular, London emphasized devotion to God by being far more devoted to the lives of the Christians in their fellowship group than partying. Eventually things changed. Allison’s partying has diminished and she has been helping Christians in her fellowship group do better in their college studies and advising others how to meet friends and find things to do with them. London’s devotion to God was beginning to defeat Satan in Allison’s life. |
Satan is very successful in robbing God of glory by distracting our devotion to both God and one another. The devil often diverts us from living primarily for God by getting us to devote ourselves to other things by placing them at a higher priority.
For us, God must be top priority and that starts with the devotion of our hearts, souls, minds and strengths to Him alone.
For us, God must be top priority and that starts with the devotion of our hearts, souls, minds and strengths to Him alone.
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.
Mark 12:30
with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Mark 12:30
Christians don’t believe anything or anyone other than God should be worshiped. However, anything we are devoted to more than God is the same as an idol. Jesus constantly challenged anything that took precedence over God. We should regularly ask ourselves what we live for because a variety of things will slip into our desires and challenge our devotion to God.
Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness at the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry to intercept our Savior’s devotion to God. All three temptations were meant to entice Jesus to put something or someone ahead of God. Just look at the last of the three.
Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness at the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry to intercept our Savior’s devotion to God. All three temptations were meant to entice Jesus to put something or someone ahead of God. Just look at the last of the three.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
Matt 4:8-10
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Satan also tries to rupture our devotion to one another. Since God has asked for it, the devil can rob God of glory by getting us to live for things other than one another. Knowing that many of the wonderful attractions of this world can become diversions from devotion to one another, we should want to be on the watch.
This editorial note at the end of 1 John 5 in “The Voice Bible” by the Ecclesia Bible Society seems right on target.
This editorial note at the end of 1 John 5 in “The Voice Bible” by the Ecclesia Bible Society seems right on target.
John’s final bit of pastoral advice sounds an alarm against idolatry. If we look carefully at our culture and into our own hearts, we will find we are ultimately concerned about ourselves, our entertainment, our comforts, and our wallets. None of these are worthy of our highest devotion; but we put more time, energy, money, and emotion into these than we do into the one true God. So, John’s warning should be heeded: watch out for the steady impulse to love other things more than God.
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Take the example of an ice cream cone. God has given us taste buds to know that ice cream is great. He wants us to enjoy it from time to time. However, our old contaminated nature, which came to us from the Garden of Eden betrayal of God by Adam and Eve, wants ice cream every chance we get. Soon, ice cream becomes more important than our health, just like other things can become more important than devotion to God and one another.
Making money is such a thing.
Making money is such a thing.
No servant can serve two masters,
for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and money.
Luke 16:13
for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and money.
Luke 16:13
We certainly need to make enough money to meet our needs, give to those less fortunate, and support Christian missions and ministries. But, we don’t need to spend more time thinking about making money than how we can serve God more devotedly. Business opportunities and potential for financial gain can easily capture our minds and hearts. When finances are providing for our needs, we must be on guard for wanting more to the extent that we cannot significantly be available to God, our closest Christian friends, family members, and spouse. We can defeat Satan by trusting our Lord enough to provide for us so that we do not spend too much time and thought on making more and more money.
Recreational pursuits are often used by Satan to dilute devotion to God and one another. These pursuits are great for health benefits and enjoyment. The issue is not devotion to athletics and other forms of recreation, but how devoted we become to those activities. Do we look forward to them more than helping out our friends, family members, or spouse? Do these activities take us away from putting God and other Christians as well as family and marriage first? We must remember that our enemy Satan is hoping for that. We can defeat him by limiting our recreation and making some of our recreation dedicated to God by including Christians who can be uplifted.
Electronics can gobble up our time that others need. It used to be only television, but now it is a thousand apps available for smart phones, tablets, and computers. Dedication of so much time can sneak above devotion to our spouses, family members and friends. Too many good television programs seek our devotion each week. Too many games on phones and computers capture hours as we try to reach higher “levels”. Curiosity can overtake us and we can continually ask our phones, tablets or computers to answer questions that are not as important as God, our friends, family members or spouses. And then there are news outlets that go on and on and on. Hardly any of this electronic recreation relates to the responsibilities of real life. We must defeat Satan’s effort to take over our lives electronically.
Ironically, religious activity can also divert us from devotion to God and one another. What if today’s Christians are more identified with their organizational church than to Jesus Christ? The result of this can be involvement in all sorts of church activities and Bible studies so that there is not enough time for devotion to what God wants more. Remember that Jesus just before He died for us did not command the disciples to study the Bible but to do what the Bible instructs, especially loving one another. Isn’t it just like the devil to tempt us to our own kind of holiness rather than God’s? Bible study and intellectual discussion about application of the Scriptures is no substitute to obeying the Scriptures we have learned over and over again without action.
We must ask ourselves if we have enough time to do well the Togethers which represent hundreds of Bible verses and passages. Not just once in a while do we need to obey what we have learned from the Bible. To really honor God, we need to be devoted to those in our Christian Inner Circles and do with them over and over again what God has communicated He wants in the pages of the Bible.
Satan will try to get us to give our devotion, dedication and loyalty to many other things to thwart our devotion to one another in order to dishonor God. Let’s not let that happen!
How in the Sinful Environment this Together Prepares Us for Heaven
Recreational pursuits are often used by Satan to dilute devotion to God and one another. These pursuits are great for health benefits and enjoyment. The issue is not devotion to athletics and other forms of recreation, but how devoted we become to those activities. Do we look forward to them more than helping out our friends, family members, or spouse? Do these activities take us away from putting God and other Christians as well as family and marriage first? We must remember that our enemy Satan is hoping for that. We can defeat him by limiting our recreation and making some of our recreation dedicated to God by including Christians who can be uplifted.
Electronics can gobble up our time that others need. It used to be only television, but now it is a thousand apps available for smart phones, tablets, and computers. Dedication of so much time can sneak above devotion to our spouses, family members and friends. Too many good television programs seek our devotion each week. Too many games on phones and computers capture hours as we try to reach higher “levels”. Curiosity can overtake us and we can continually ask our phones, tablets or computers to answer questions that are not as important as God, our friends, family members or spouses. And then there are news outlets that go on and on and on. Hardly any of this electronic recreation relates to the responsibilities of real life. We must defeat Satan’s effort to take over our lives electronically.
Ironically, religious activity can also divert us from devotion to God and one another. What if today’s Christians are more identified with their organizational church than to Jesus Christ? The result of this can be involvement in all sorts of church activities and Bible studies so that there is not enough time for devotion to what God wants more. Remember that Jesus just before He died for us did not command the disciples to study the Bible but to do what the Bible instructs, especially loving one another. Isn’t it just like the devil to tempt us to our own kind of holiness rather than God’s? Bible study and intellectual discussion about application of the Scriptures is no substitute to obeying the Scriptures we have learned over and over again without action.
We must ask ourselves if we have enough time to do well the Togethers which represent hundreds of Bible verses and passages. Not just once in a while do we need to obey what we have learned from the Bible. To really honor God, we need to be devoted to those in our Christian Inner Circles and do with them over and over again what God has communicated He wants in the pages of the Bible.
Satan will try to get us to give our devotion, dedication and loyalty to many other things to thwart our devotion to one another in order to dishonor God. Let’s not let that happen!
How in the Sinful Environment this Together Prepares Us for Heaven
The Landry Family has recently begun to emphasize devotion in their family. Shoplifting by the oldest boy got Mr. and Mrs. Landry questioning what was going wrong in their family. It seems the 14-year-old did it to get attention. At about the same time, Uncle Bert died after a life of expensive living without accepting Jesus as his savior. The family really liked Uncle Bert and wondered what heaven was going to be like without him there. This spurred curiosity about heaven and what would be important in the life that awaited them there.
The Landry Family decided that devotion to God and one another would help them prepare for heaven as well as cut off the family dysfunction that was beginning as the kids became teenagers and were tempted to try many dangerous things. At a family meeting, everyone identified things that they would like each other family member to do to help them enjoy life better and be more loyal to God. The other day, Mom Landry heard the five-year-old ask the fourteen-year-old if he was using drugs. Devotion within the family was working. |
Will there be different levels of devotion in heaven? And, can devotion grow there?
In heaven everyone will be satisfied with their sense of devotion to God and the other citizens of heaven. But, they will likely experience different intensities of joy from devotion based on how far their spirits developed in devotion before death.
We can understand this difference in experience of devotion in heaven if we consider a mother who is devoted to making nutritious meals for her family or a man who is devoted to his hobby of model trains. When the mother walks through the store to buy groceries, she is filled with interest and joy because of her devotion. A mother who dislikes cooking and is less devoted to making meals for her family walks down the same grocery aisles with far less excitement. When the model train devotee attends a model train exhibition, he is enthralled. But, the friend he brings along who is only casually interested will be far less thrilled at the various exhibits.
If we want to feel the joy of devotion more intensely in heaven, we will want to yield more to the Holy Spirit who is constantly opening doors for us to become more devoted to God and one another. We can ask the Father in Jesus’ Name for more devotion to our friends and then listen for God’s Spirit to speak to our minds in ways that will urge us toward devotion to pray for them and dedication to make ourselves more available. We can seek God’s help to be more devoted to our family and find that they become higher priority. We can let God make us more devoted to our husband or wife and experience additional joy in supporting him or her with help, compliments, and other loving gestures. Becoming a more devoted Christian now will expand our experience in heaven indefinitely.
However, there are some among us who have a terrible time trusting others enough to be as devoted as they could be if they had not had such bad backgrounds. Some Christians were neglected and abused as children making many things in relating to God and others more difficult. Deep down, usually in their unconscious so they do not know it, they think people cannot be trusted and are going to hurt them. So, for them, devotion is very, very hard because it asks them to live for those who might reignite prior emotional pain.
What about these damaged ones in heaven? Is it unfair that they might not be able to trust and be devoted in heaven to the extent others can when it is really not their fault? Let’s consider this in the understanding that our spirits develop more under the resistence of sin. For example, someone who has to forgive being badly betrayed will develop more ability to forgive than someone who has never been so poorly treated. So the former will enter heaven more appreciative of their salvation because of their greater need to see their own sinfulness in order to drop a self-righteousness that inhibits forgiveness.
Therefore, someone having trouble being devoted because of harm done to them in childhood will still develop a strong devotion, even though they are less devoted to others. They may even surpass those who had to overcome much weaker barriers to devotion to God and others and could act with more devotion. Those who had to work harder to be devoted will actually enter heaven with more ability to be devoted. Their devotion will at last be unchallenged by the forces of evil and their superior strength will be finally be exposed.
For many reasons, some will enter heaven behind others in this respect of sensing the joy of devotion. However, to the lesser extent that devotion can grow without the opposition of sin and self-centeredness, everyone will grow in devotion to God and others. As they see more and more of God’s goodness, everyone’s heart, mind, soul and strength will respond with increased devotion. It will just be that some will have spirits more developed than others in depth of devotion at the start. And, they may stay ahead for all eternity. But, everyone will be happy, because everyone will be filled with devotion to the level of their capacity.
Let’s not wait until we get to heaven to grow in devotion. Let’s grow in devotion to God and others so that when we get to heaven we will start out at a high level of joy through devotion. Let’s prepare ourselves for more joy through devotion there in heaven where it is not dulled by surrounding sin.
How this Together Can Make It Really Good in Heaven
In heaven everyone will be satisfied with their sense of devotion to God and the other citizens of heaven. But, they will likely experience different intensities of joy from devotion based on how far their spirits developed in devotion before death.
We can understand this difference in experience of devotion in heaven if we consider a mother who is devoted to making nutritious meals for her family or a man who is devoted to his hobby of model trains. When the mother walks through the store to buy groceries, she is filled with interest and joy because of her devotion. A mother who dislikes cooking and is less devoted to making meals for her family walks down the same grocery aisles with far less excitement. When the model train devotee attends a model train exhibition, he is enthralled. But, the friend he brings along who is only casually interested will be far less thrilled at the various exhibits.
If we want to feel the joy of devotion more intensely in heaven, we will want to yield more to the Holy Spirit who is constantly opening doors for us to become more devoted to God and one another. We can ask the Father in Jesus’ Name for more devotion to our friends and then listen for God’s Spirit to speak to our minds in ways that will urge us toward devotion to pray for them and dedication to make ourselves more available. We can seek God’s help to be more devoted to our family and find that they become higher priority. We can let God make us more devoted to our husband or wife and experience additional joy in supporting him or her with help, compliments, and other loving gestures. Becoming a more devoted Christian now will expand our experience in heaven indefinitely.
However, there are some among us who have a terrible time trusting others enough to be as devoted as they could be if they had not had such bad backgrounds. Some Christians were neglected and abused as children making many things in relating to God and others more difficult. Deep down, usually in their unconscious so they do not know it, they think people cannot be trusted and are going to hurt them. So, for them, devotion is very, very hard because it asks them to live for those who might reignite prior emotional pain.
What about these damaged ones in heaven? Is it unfair that they might not be able to trust and be devoted in heaven to the extent others can when it is really not their fault? Let’s consider this in the understanding that our spirits develop more under the resistence of sin. For example, someone who has to forgive being badly betrayed will develop more ability to forgive than someone who has never been so poorly treated. So the former will enter heaven more appreciative of their salvation because of their greater need to see their own sinfulness in order to drop a self-righteousness that inhibits forgiveness.
Therefore, someone having trouble being devoted because of harm done to them in childhood will still develop a strong devotion, even though they are less devoted to others. They may even surpass those who had to overcome much weaker barriers to devotion to God and others and could act with more devotion. Those who had to work harder to be devoted will actually enter heaven with more ability to be devoted. Their devotion will at last be unchallenged by the forces of evil and their superior strength will be finally be exposed.
For many reasons, some will enter heaven behind others in this respect of sensing the joy of devotion. However, to the lesser extent that devotion can grow without the opposition of sin and self-centeredness, everyone will grow in devotion to God and others. As they see more and more of God’s goodness, everyone’s heart, mind, soul and strength will respond with increased devotion. It will just be that some will have spirits more developed than others in depth of devotion at the start. And, they may stay ahead for all eternity. But, everyone will be happy, because everyone will be filled with devotion to the level of their capacity.
Let’s not wait until we get to heaven to grow in devotion. Let’s grow in devotion to God and others so that when we get to heaven we will start out at a high level of joy through devotion. Let’s prepare ourselves for more joy through devotion there in heaven where it is not dulled by surrounding sin.
How this Together Can Make It Really Good in Heaven
I am learning how to increase my joy in heaven. Before I died I was devoted to God, but not to His desire that I be devoted to other Christians in my life. When I came here I immediately noticed others having a more joyful time than I was having. Now, don’t get me wrong, I was not unhappy, nor am I now. The only way I can explain it is that I am full of joy, like a 60-watt lightbulb, but there are others that are full of 100-watt light. I don’t have the capacity for more than 60 watts, so I am as happy as I can be. That doesn’t mean, however, that I would not like to grow in devotion and be more joyful.
After watching people with a higher quotient of joy, I discovered that they found joy in what they did – plus what other citizens of heaven were doing. I came to heaven only practiced in happiness for what I did. I am hoping that I will learn to find more joy in what those around me are doing. |
There is joy attached to devotion. Not just for now, but also for eternity in heaven. Increased capability for devotion now will bring more capacity for joy through devotion in heaven.
There will be increased joy for those of us who became increasingly more devoted to God and to other people. If a devoted mother gets so much joy out of watching her daughter succeed in baking her first cake, imagine what joy we can have in heaven as we see other Christians continually accomplish new things they try.
Who enjoys a daughter’s beginning piano recital more, a parent devoted to her daughter’s music or a mother who is only doing what a good mother would? Who relishes a son’s Little League baseball championship game more, especially without a win to boost enthusiasm, a father devoted to helping his son learn the necessary skills or one who just takes his son to the game?
Who enjoys his wife’s college graduation even though he has not been able to pursue higher education because he has to work and financially support the family, a husband who is totally behind her or one who is competitive and envious?
Who enjoys a friend getting a book published or being promoted at work, a friend who congratulates as a form of social politeness or one who has been so devoted as to encourage and pray for the friend’s success?
Ever notice how easier it is for a younger sibling to be excited about an older brother or sister’s accomplishments than vice versa? Younger kids seem to be more devoted to older siblings. Perhaps it is because adolescence is loaded with self-consciousness. But the point is this: the younger child, being more easily devoted, receives joy that the older teen misses.
However, everyone will be content in heaven, and that is why it will not make us sad when we notice saints who do not join with the desires and achievements of other saints through devotion and find commensurate joy. They will be content with the level of joy that they receive, even though it is much less than we experience.
If we have been so excited for something good to happen for someone we care about that we think about it all day and cannot wait to find out what happened, we have been devoted to that person. It felt good to be outside of ourselves and delighted for someone else. How great it will be to be involved with other saints in heaven and experience the joy that comes from devotion expressing itself in anticipating their pursuits.
Let’s get ready for that! Let’s grow in our devotion to other Christians and learn to enjoy their pursuits and accomplishments.
Opportunity for a Closer Relationship with God through Empathy
There will be increased joy for those of us who became increasingly more devoted to God and to other people. If a devoted mother gets so much joy out of watching her daughter succeed in baking her first cake, imagine what joy we can have in heaven as we see other Christians continually accomplish new things they try.
Who enjoys a daughter’s beginning piano recital more, a parent devoted to her daughter’s music or a mother who is only doing what a good mother would? Who relishes a son’s Little League baseball championship game more, especially without a win to boost enthusiasm, a father devoted to helping his son learn the necessary skills or one who just takes his son to the game?
Who enjoys his wife’s college graduation even though he has not been able to pursue higher education because he has to work and financially support the family, a husband who is totally behind her or one who is competitive and envious?
Who enjoys a friend getting a book published or being promoted at work, a friend who congratulates as a form of social politeness or one who has been so devoted as to encourage and pray for the friend’s success?
Ever notice how easier it is for a younger sibling to be excited about an older brother or sister’s accomplishments than vice versa? Younger kids seem to be more devoted to older siblings. Perhaps it is because adolescence is loaded with self-consciousness. But the point is this: the younger child, being more easily devoted, receives joy that the older teen misses.
However, everyone will be content in heaven, and that is why it will not make us sad when we notice saints who do not join with the desires and achievements of other saints through devotion and find commensurate joy. They will be content with the level of joy that they receive, even though it is much less than we experience.
If we have been so excited for something good to happen for someone we care about that we think about it all day and cannot wait to find out what happened, we have been devoted to that person. It felt good to be outside of ourselves and delighted for someone else. How great it will be to be involved with other saints in heaven and experience the joy that comes from devotion expressing itself in anticipating their pursuits.
Let’s get ready for that! Let’s grow in our devotion to other Christians and learn to enjoy their pursuits and accomplishments.
Opportunity for a Closer Relationship with God through Empathy
Fifteen years after I came to heaven, Jesus visited me when I was alone in my room. He had no tasks for me to do. He said that He just enjoys being with those who had been more completely devoted to Him back before heaven. He reminded me of the hurt experienced when those following Him around Judea and Galilee abandoned Him for lack of devotion. Then He mentioned a few of the times back on Earth when through my devotion to Him I turned down something I really wanted to do so that I could do something for Him.
Hearing that and His visit was a thrill indescribable. Jesus said that He would be visiting others who had been exceptionally devoted and then would be back. It may take another 15 years for Jesus to stop by again. But, you know, in eternity, that is just a very short wait. |
We usually like to be most around those we know are devoted to us. So it must be the same with God.
Think of how good it is to just sit and visit with people we know are on our side. We feel the warmth of their devotion. We appreciate their commitment to us. We feel we are in life together out of mutual devotion.
And consider how we appreciate those who are devoted to our friends, our children and our spouse. This is the same with God. If, as this Together and its Scriptures presents, we become more and more devoted to other Christians, God will greatly appreciate us. We want to go to heaven with our Lord appreciating us for being devoted to Him and to other Christians, especially those in our Christian friendships, families, and marriages.
God is wholeheartedly devoted to us. The limit to our sensing of His devotion is the outer edge of our own devotion to God.
Ever notice people who cannot return the level of devotion, dedication and commitment that we give them? They are held back by hurts in their past and grasp our devotion to them short of our actual degree of devotion. The relationship with such people is stopped short of what it could be if our devotion to them could be matched equally. It is disappointing. But, this is the description of a believer’s relationship with God. We can’t match His devotion to us. But, we can grow to be devoted more.
Our Lord accepts our relationship with Him limited to how far we can go in the way of devotion. Perhaps this is why we can only be forgiven as far as we can forgive.
Think of how good it is to just sit and visit with people we know are on our side. We feel the warmth of their devotion. We appreciate their commitment to us. We feel we are in life together out of mutual devotion.
And consider how we appreciate those who are devoted to our friends, our children and our spouse. This is the same with God. If, as this Together and its Scriptures presents, we become more and more devoted to other Christians, God will greatly appreciate us. We want to go to heaven with our Lord appreciating us for being devoted to Him and to other Christians, especially those in our Christian friendships, families, and marriages.
God is wholeheartedly devoted to us. The limit to our sensing of His devotion is the outer edge of our own devotion to God.
Ever notice people who cannot return the level of devotion, dedication and commitment that we give them? They are held back by hurts in their past and grasp our devotion to them short of our actual degree of devotion. The relationship with such people is stopped short of what it could be if our devotion to them could be matched equally. It is disappointing. But, this is the description of a believer’s relationship with God. We can’t match His devotion to us. But, we can grow to be devoted more.
Our Lord accepts our relationship with Him limited to how far we can go in the way of devotion. Perhaps this is why we can only be forgiven as far as we can forgive.
Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
but if you do not forgive others their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matt 6:9-15
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
but if you do not forgive others their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matt 6:9-15
It definitely appears in this passage from the Sermon on the Mount that it is only we who limit our relationship with God. Each of us will have a relationship with God that matches the extent our spirits have matured to be like Jesus.
It is surprising to see so many Christians demanding that God be more devoted to them than they are willing to be committed to Him. They become angry at God when He won’t heal someone they love, even though they live any way they want. They somehow misread the Bible to only describe what is in the faith for them. Sure, God loves us unconditionally. But, He doesn’t forgive us, evidently, more than we can forgive. And His devotion may similarly be linked to our level of devotion to Him.
We should want our devotion to grow as much as it can this side of heaven because in some way it will determine the nature of our relationship with God. Let’s not presume that God will just look the other way. He knows the level of our devotion to Him no matter how much of a religious face we put on in Christian fellowships. Every one of us has work to do to grow our spirits in devotion to God and one another. None of us has conquered devotion to God.
And, none of us has conquered our devotion to other Christians, especially those in our Christian friendships, families, and marriages.
Let’s not settle for a diminished relationship with God because we held back devotion.
Praise and Prayer Regarding this Together
I and those in my Christian Inner Circle will need Your help to grow our spirits to be more devoted to You and one another. Help us to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit for all of us to give You more glory in the way we devotedly place others at higher priority than ourselves.
Please help us all to become more like Jesus who is totally devoted to His Father and to us by being more devoted and available to those God has placed in our Christian Inner Circles.
May our lives worship You more because we reflect back to You Your great devotion to us. Let us be called upon in inconvenient times just as we can call on You at any time. Help us not to just be willing to be available, but “want” to be available.
Make us strong in Your power to defeat the devil by not letting him divert our devotion to God and others by enticing us to become devoted to less important, yet very interesting, pursuits. Help us to destroy Satan’s aim for us and not be devoted to anything more than we are devoted to You. Then, in our devotion to those in our Christian Inner Circles, may we with the Your power and the direction of the Holy Spirit wield various Togethers of Scripture necessary to defeat the evil one’s strategies in one another’s lives.
Help us all to prepare for heaven by growing more completely to feel the joy of devotion as a higher level in heaven. I and those in my Christian Inner Circle would like to grow in our devotion to the extent that we get great joy in the accomplishments of others. How wonderful it will be to be involved with other saints in heaven and experience the joy that comes from devotion expressing itself in anticipating their pursuits.
Ever increasing practice of the Togethers of Scripture will (1) create in you the loving essence of Jesus, (2) give Jesus the kind of love He requested, (3) provide you with the most significant spiritual lifestyle which is attainable only through Christian community, (4) offer significant worship to God by reflecting his own character back to him through your behavior, and (5) bring God’s kingdom to earth as asked for in the Lord’s Prayer. And for heaven, such growing obedience to Scripture now will later (6) qualify you for a more responsible place of service as reward in heaven, and, (7) most important of all, give you greater empathy with God for a closer relationship with Him for all of eternity.
It is surprising to see so many Christians demanding that God be more devoted to them than they are willing to be committed to Him. They become angry at God when He won’t heal someone they love, even though they live any way they want. They somehow misread the Bible to only describe what is in the faith for them. Sure, God loves us unconditionally. But, He doesn’t forgive us, evidently, more than we can forgive. And His devotion may similarly be linked to our level of devotion to Him.
We should want our devotion to grow as much as it can this side of heaven because in some way it will determine the nature of our relationship with God. Let’s not presume that God will just look the other way. He knows the level of our devotion to Him no matter how much of a religious face we put on in Christian fellowships. Every one of us has work to do to grow our spirits in devotion to God and one another. None of us has conquered devotion to God.
And, none of us has conquered our devotion to other Christians, especially those in our Christian friendships, families, and marriages.
Let’s not settle for a diminished relationship with God because we held back devotion.
Praise and Prayer Regarding this Together
I and those in my Christian Inner Circle will need Your help to grow our spirits to be more devoted to You and one another. Help us to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit for all of us to give You more glory in the way we devotedly place others at higher priority than ourselves.
Please help us all to become more like Jesus who is totally devoted to His Father and to us by being more devoted and available to those God has placed in our Christian Inner Circles.
May our lives worship You more because we reflect back to You Your great devotion to us. Let us be called upon in inconvenient times just as we can call on You at any time. Help us not to just be willing to be available, but “want” to be available.
Make us strong in Your power to defeat the devil by not letting him divert our devotion to God and others by enticing us to become devoted to less important, yet very interesting, pursuits. Help us to destroy Satan’s aim for us and not be devoted to anything more than we are devoted to You. Then, in our devotion to those in our Christian Inner Circles, may we with the Your power and the direction of the Holy Spirit wield various Togethers of Scripture necessary to defeat the evil one’s strategies in one another’s lives.
Help us all to prepare for heaven by growing more completely to feel the joy of devotion as a higher level in heaven. I and those in my Christian Inner Circle would like to grow in our devotion to the extent that we get great joy in the accomplishments of others. How wonderful it will be to be involved with other saints in heaven and experience the joy that comes from devotion expressing itself in anticipating their pursuits.
Ever increasing practice of the Togethers of Scripture will (1) create in you the loving essence of Jesus, (2) give Jesus the kind of love He requested, (3) provide you with the most significant spiritual lifestyle which is attainable only through Christian community, (4) offer significant worship to God by reflecting his own character back to him through your behavior, and (5) bring God’s kingdom to earth as asked for in the Lord’s Prayer. And for heaven, such growing obedience to Scripture now will later (6) qualify you for a more responsible place of service as reward in heaven, and, (7) most important of all, give you greater empathy with God for a closer relationship with Him for all of eternity.