Devotion is one of my favorite words. I love the definition of Devote… it means to give over wholly or purposefully … To center the attention or activities of oneself…
It is true we give our attention and activities to many things in life as women. We are notorious for wearing many hats. But devotion – meaning to give ourself wholly to and purposefully; to center our lives and attention on – let’s take this time to consider a heart of devotion to the Lord.
The Pulpit Commentary said “Devotion to her Lord will win her His tender regard and make her other charms and graces please and delight Him!”
When I think of Devotion I think of Mary…. we find her in Luke 10:38-42 (NKJV)
38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Two sisters…..living under the same roof….. Can you imagine?
We first meet Mary at the feet of Jesus and we last see her at His feet. (See Luke 10:39 and John 12:3)
We first meet Martha serving and we last see Martha serving. (See Luke 10:38 and John 12:2)
Now it is obvious that a beautiful and comfortable relationship existed between Jesus and these two sisters. And in His association with Mary and Martha we get one of the better glimpses of the human side of Christ found in the New Testament.
The two sisters lived in Bethany …. their house is obviously open to the Lord…. it is a home He is comfortable in…. This speaks volumes to me…. How blessed is the home where Christ is always welcome.
As Jesus responded to Martha’s fussing over Mary… He simply said “One Thing is Needful”
Note, Jesus contrasts between the many things about which Martha was troubled and the one thing that was needful.
One – A particular things, a single thing.
Needful – Necessary – something needed or requisite ….
Something essential…. Something desirable; something useful….. it comes from the base word need…. Meaning a physiological of psychological requirement for well-being.
So Jesus was saying to her “My daughter, a particular thing is necessary in your life…..a single thing….is essential, desirable and useful in your life for your well-being.” What was He speaking of? Devotion.
Let’s revisit this word. In Websters it says Devotion means….
Love…. Affection…. Fidelity…. It also means to give over wholly or purposefully….. to center the attention or activities of…. To set apart for a particular and often better or higher end…
God is calling each of us, to a Heart of Devotion towards Him. It is a matter of the heart….
Did you know that God is concerned about your heart? He is! The reason for this is the heart is the center of the physical, mental and spiritual life of a human.
Proverbs 4:23 tell us to guard our hearts, above all else, because it is the wellspring of life.
As women, we keep and guard many things…..our homes, our families, our finances, ….our happiness…but how many of us can honestly say we keep and guard our hearts? This is so important because our heart is the wellspring of our life…It is truly who we are.
Guard means to take precaution and make sure of. A Heart devoted is a heart guarded!
I love Charles Spurgeon’s quote when he said “We take more care of our cats and dogs than we do our soul…”
I want to inspire you and challenge you with these times of encouragement. To do this, we need to get quiet and examine our life and choices.
So ask yourself:
* How’s your heart? Have you kept it – have you guarded it?
* What are you devoted to? Or where do you set your affections?
* What would you say you give yourself wholly to?
One of my favorite scriptures on devotion is found in Job 11:13-19 (NKJV) let’s take a look.
“If you would prepare your heart, And stretch out your hands toward Him; If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away, And would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
If you devote your heart – It is a choice we make!
And stretch your hands out to Him – It is a choice we make!
If you put away the sin in your life – It is a choice we make!
And the result of that decision is found in vs. 15 on….
“Then surely you could lift up your face without spot; Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear; Because you would forget your misery, And remember it as waters that have passed away, And your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning. And you would be secure, because there is hope; Yes, you would dig around you, and take your rest in safety. You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid; Yes, many would court your favor.
God promises here:
*You will lift up your face without shame… God desires to lift our chin.
*You will stand firm without fear…. God desires to give us stability!
*You will surely forget your trouble…
*Life will be bright… No more dwelling in the shadows of regret!
*You will be secure and have hope…
*You will take your rest in safety…
*You will not be afraid
Oh my dear one, these promises of God are for each of us as we choose to devote our hearts to Him and reach towards Him turning from sin and compromise in our lives. They are powerful and motivating to me and I need them! There are certainly those days that I need my chin lifted and to be able to stand firm without fear. To be able to see past the circumstances in front of me and forget the troubles as I look forward to the life He has promised me. A life that is bright and secure, filled with hope and rest where I find rest and I am not overcome with fear.
God asks in Jeremiah 30:21 & 22 “For who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?” I believe God is still asking that today…
At times like these, we can find ourselves not knowing where to start or how to make a move in the direction of devotion. With the desire to help you, I offer you a few questions as we close:
In Col. 4:2 we are told to devote ourselves to prayer
How is your prayer life? Do you spend regular times in prayer? Not just praying to God but listening to Him as well…..
Some of you know me better than others…. What’s the difference? Time spent with me. So let me ask you, “How will you ever know the Lord, if you don’t spend time with Him?”
In I Tim. 4:13 we are told to devote ourselves to God’s Word.
Are you in His Word daily? Or is it a few hit and misses a week or perhaps it’s just on Sunday that you grab your bible, finding it in the exact spot you left it a week ago…
My dear friend, a devoted heart comes from a trusting heart; and you cannot trust God if you do not know Him. How do we know Him? Through His Word…. make a commitment to get in His Word daily and look for God speak to you through His Word.
Let’s take notice that Mary delighted to take the seat at Jesus feet. To some of us she might seem irresponsible…dreamy…so heavenly minded she is of little earthly good.. But Jesus appreciated her deep interest in His message and her love for Him. Truly, nothing is more important for the child of God than to spend time at the feet of Jesus, pondering over His word and spending time in prayer.
In Titus 3:8 we are told to devote ourself to doing what is good
It’s true that as women, often we fill our lives with doing many things that are good…but the point of this account with Mary and Martha is do not neglect the One Thing that is Most Needful for the many others things clamoring at you.
Martha’s “many things” were material, physical, and social…. What are your many things… only you can answer this for yourself. Ask God to show you.
Let’s take note that Mary’s “one thing” was spiritual and of eternal significance….
Is the ‘one thing’ in your life that is at the very center of you spiritual and of eternal significance?
Let’s be clear, Martha was not choosing the wrong in place of the right, but the incidental in place of the all-important…. The temporal instead of the eternal.
John 6:27 tell us not to work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life…
My friends, let us be challenged with the reality that there is no substitute for sitting at the feet of Jesus — and even though we are busy… we MUST make time for it… it is the MOST NEEDFUL – especially in the days we live in.
Leave a Reply