PASTOR BOLA BELLO
[biblegateway passage=”HEBREWS 10:14″ display=”HEBREWS 10:14″]; [biblegateway passage=”HEBREWS 12:1″ display=”HEBREWS 12:1″]; [biblegateway passage=”ACTS 17:23″ display=”ACTS 17:23″]; [biblegateway passage=”JOHN 10:17″ display=”JOHN 10:17″]
Being perfected forever is not without a responsibility. We cannot afford to build a false sense of perfection without paying attention to how we conduct our lives.
Devotion is an act, a contemplation and gazing with the expectation of beholding deity. Devotion is an act of worship. Worship is not essentially about raising up hands in church and dancing excitedly. Worship at its best stems from a heart of devotion to God.
To be devoted to God is to be drawn unto Him. We must learn to give Him our true devotion. Correct devotion is within the context of the household of faith. We cannot be perfect without living devoted and consecrated lives. God will not talk to the one that is not committed to Him.
We can learn a lot from monks and nuns who are committed to various causes. They subject themselves to a lot of poverty and hardship as an act of devotion. Devotion is seen in a completely sacrificial life. Our devotion starts with the capacity to sacrifice our lives for the one who has called us.
Jesus earned His eternal reputation by devoting His life to God. You are sold out to that which you are devoted to. The foundation of our faith was laid upon devotion.
[biblegateway passage=”1 CORINTHIANS 9:19″ display=”1 CORINTHIANS 9:19″]; [biblegateway passage=”ACTS 21:10-15″ display=”ACTS 21:10-15″];[biblegateway passage=” JOHN 10:17″ display=” JOHN 10:17″]
Devotion is total surrender unto a cause. To be devoted is to willingly subjugate and enslave yourself to that to which you are devoted.
Paul was so devoted to the cause of Christ that he was not bothered about losing his life in the process. He risked going to Jerusalem even when he got a prophecy against it from a trusted Prophet Agabus.
The reason why the father loves Jesus is because of his devotion. Jesus earned God’s love by laying down His life. His devotion demonstrated His love for the Father and the love was eternally reciprocated.
The surest way to enjoy freedom is to be devoted, though it looks like losing one’s freedom. The sure way to true freedom is to give up your freedom.
Many of us are not devoted because we have not come to appreciate the person of Christ. A devoted person is a zealot.
[biblegateway passage=”2 CORINTHIANS 11:2″ display=”2 CORINTHIANS 11:2″]
Devotion entails living for Christ as an espoused wife [biblegateway passage=”2 Samuel 3:14″ display=”2 Samuel 3:14″]. Espousal is not marriage, it is preparation for marriage. What we do at this stage determines if we make it to the end or not. The ten virgins serve as good examples for us. +Devotion is complete loyalty and allegiance (Ruth 1:16-18).
Devotion is delight, interest and giving up of time and substance for a cause [biblegateway passage=”2 Chronicles 28:3-5″ display=”2 Chronicles 28:3-5″].
It is devotion misappropriated when we give our devotion to wrong courses like the Prophets of Baal and the Pharisees.
Devotion is a life of piety both to God and man. It is not about eye service.
It is always instructive to know that we are espoused to Christ. We must live with that commitment in our everyday lives.