Devotion

I'm going to jump right in before I renegotiate my feelings and convince myself that it's better to keep silent.

Do you realize that "Praising God" is the most superficial thing you can do?

This may sound a bit over the top, but when you really think about it and consider what Scripture says, you'll see that its not as flamboyant as it may seem.

Here's The Word:

Matthew 5:45(b) for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

This is a familiar verse to most of us even lightly acquainted with God's Word. My point is that the evil and the unjust can receive the blessings of sun and rain and thank God for it. Does their "thankfulness" change their position? No, not at all. It may change their day, but not their destiny. The statement is made in reference to what's called Common Grace and simply reflects on the God's goodness. The surrounding paragraph is an encouragement to us to aspire to Godliness, beyond what's commonly expected, and especially in the face of resistance.

Here's The Word:

Isaiah 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

This verse is repeated in Matthew 15 as a point of scolding to the Pharisees as He points out their hypocrisy. Again, the point here is that God isn't fooled by superficial worship by people whose hearts aren't devoted to Him.

I don't point out the superficiality of praising God just to capture your attention, I say it to encourage your devotion.
We have to be careful that our lives go beyond understanding mercy and grace at the lowest level. The Gospel isn't meant to simply make us unashamed to say the name "Jesus". It goes much, much deeper than that. We have to truly see how sin-stained we are, and our desperate need of cleansing to be accepted. Once we realize the severe implications of this truth and the supremely high cost of purchasing that 'acceptance', it will go far beyond what we commonly see.

Beyond the realization, there's the expectation that the result of our cleansing would go far beyond an expressed gratitude to an unshakable drive to fulfill our divine purpose: No, I don't mean sharing the Gospel. I don't even mean making disciples. Not working in a church or a missions trip to Uganda. Am I saying that these things are wrong? Of course not, we're called to share the gospel, make disciples and be His witnesses to the ends of the earth, and sadly, some never make it out of their fear or comfort to do this, I'm saying that we better be sure to know that in our heart of hearts that these expressions are a result of our devotion, not from expectation.
Our divine purpose is that for which we were initially created in the first place. Not just Salvation by God, but fellowship WITH God. Using our initial expression in the garden of Eden, I'll iterate our first purpose: Tending to the things placed in our care and enjoyment of an immersive and intimate communion with God and others like us. This is what's ultimately restored at the end of the age as we enter the eternal state.

Here's The Word:

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

What is the benefit of being the people of a Great and Powerful God? Is it the blessings? Yes, but much, much more than that. Ultimately, its the intimate fellowship. A fellowship that we can only see as looking through a glass darkly, but eventually in crystal clarity.

This world provides "blessings", even God provides common grace worthy of thankfulness, but they're superficial things that were never intended to last. Also, this world provides other pleasures, too many to number. Check your heart and answer honestly "Where is your treasure?" If you're living for relevancy and enjoyment in this world, then you'll perceive the superficiality I'm talking about much differently than someone who know's they're supposed to be seeking deeper relevancy, and ultimately holiness in Christ. Whether its clothes or music on down to past times and pleasures. Superficiality for a worldly person revolves around the desires or dislikes of the the particular person. If they like certain TV shows, anyone who doesn't like them, obviously has personality problems. If they're vegan, anyone who eats meat, must love murder. If they're receptive to any of the 'take your pic' social agendas, any who would feel differently must have an irrational fear...a phobia. The rampant superficiality life at the outer levels of life are many.

I don't think we talk about devotion enough but I think that devotion is the driving force behind true love. We have to be on guard to make sure that we don't have one without the other. 1 Corinthians 13 is commonly known as "The Love Chapter". It clearly expresses that you can have a lot of outward expression devoid of it. But if you really have LOVE, it's going to be evident in how we endure. Devotion without love is a tinkling cymbal. Love without devotion is empty words. Even the evil and unjust can thank God for sun and rain.


In Him,
Cros