– for we have no standing before God, in ourselves. 9) The lack of Divine blessing, therefore, comes from unbelief, not from failure of devotion. 10) To preach devotion first, and blessing second, is reverse God’s order – it is to preach law, not grace. The Law made man’s blessing depend on devotion.
Grace confers undeserved, unconditional blessing: Our devotion may follow, but does not always do so — in proper measure.
Trusting God
Just as the wife must rest in the assurance of her man’s deep devotion to her..
This ‘love motive’ is a good motive, but it is not the correct path to spiritual maturity, for this path of devotion can lead the old-self trying to live for God, by being good, and the consequences of this path is often in living the self-life instead of the Christ-life.
There are many things which are not only harmless but good in themselves, which have, nevertheless, been allowed to take the place of the Lord Himself, and good things can therefore embody the principle of idolatry in the one in whom the devotion is found.
It’s one whose loving devotion and wrapped attention is focused on serving another.
Chosen by God
The eyes of the Lord had been upon the young Mary for many a year, for she was called and chosen to be His special vessel for His Unique Son. The righteousness of this woman had not gone unnoticed before the Lord, for the eyes of Mary had been upon the Lord for many a year during her short life. Her devotion to God dictated an equal devotion to the Son of His love. Her poverty and lowly state were no barrier to the Lord, for her delight was in the Lord. Indeed, her humility of heart and modest estate was what attracted His attention: for who can find a virtuous woman?
New Birth
The new birth is born through a deep conviction of sin and repentance. The new Christian often continues with a deep devotion to the Saviour. The early christian walk is frequently surrounded by great works and witness.
Prayer and devotion; Bible reading and preaching; alms-giving and obedience are all good – all are good, but any one can become an impediment if we see it as a means to an end.
We have to conclude one of two things that God cares nothing for all our devotion and consecration, and just lets us get into any mess, or else this is all under His eye.
But this is just the beginning of that deep work of the Cross which is to deal with the carnality of our cherished affections, our spiritual comforts, our dearest friendships, our creeds, and our denominations, our devotion to which prevents the dying of the old man that makes impossible whole-hearted devotion to the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. -J.M.
Many of the Lord's people have complained that their circumstances were too unfavorable for a life of full devotion, of close fellowship with Him, or pressing on to maturity.
But lacking the solid evidence of godly living and devotion to the Lord Himself, these will become a fanfare of trumpets or the crashing of cymbals - nothing more' (1 Cor. 13:1, Phil.) . -J.C.M.
Even where in the new convert there is great singleness of heart and faith, with true love and devotion to the Saviour, time is needed for a deeper knowledge of the old man and sin, for a spiritual insight into what the Father's will and grace are. -A.M.
You do not have to do that where there is devotion, love watchful all the time, aliveness, alertness, perception, readiness to do without being all the time told to do it.
Real devotion to the Lord is something that far outreaches legality.
It is always the work of God's enemy to clog up our lives by introducing love of self or love of the world, and it needs ruthless determination to remove the accumulated rubbish and re-dig the well in purity of devotion to Christ.
There is a tremendous amount of energy, and activity, and machinery, and zeal and devotion in the work of the Lord, in the service of the Lord, which seems to be producing something quite big, and carrying on something quite extensive.
When eventually all work, all service, all activity, is weighed in the balances, which will determine what abides forever or passes away forever, all that which was merely human energy for God will go; all that which was merely man's enterprise for the Lord will go; all that which was in any way out from man himself, even though in devotion to God, will go.
The more simply devoted you are to the Lord Jesus, who is worthy of all devotion, the more fragrance there will be in all your ways; for it will be manifested that you are not seeking yourself, not wincing because your rights are invaded, or that you are not as much cared for as you are entitled to be.
It is very possible to have a wonderful grasp of the Scriptures, a comprehensive and intimate familiarity with doctrine; to stand for cardinal verities of the faith; to be an unceasing worker in Christian service; to have a great devotion to the salvation of men, and yet, alas, to have a very inadequate and limited personal knowledge of God within.
Superlative Gemstone
But eternal love only scratches the surface of the length of God’s deep love. Everlasting love is only a minute facet of the span of God’s devotion. His infinite love is just one jewel in a casket of brilliant, superlative gemstones. For He yearns with unfathomable, unselfish, tender passion for your love. He longs with a profound, mysterious yearning for the love of His creation.
These Galatians were like that; they made a tremendous response; they loudly protested their devotion; and then they were very quick to drop out of the race.
Loving devotion and devoted fidelity was demonstrated by these grieving women.
Anguish of heart was replaced by their caring ministry of devotion, in the very core of their beings, as they recalled the bountiful blessings, bestowed from His hand.
from a sanctified heart of deep devotion – yielded to Him no matter what.
Total Surrender
Christ was wholly dedicated to doing the will of the Father, and yet... as the final step in His life’s journey drew ever closer, He reestablished His total devotion to His Father.
Nowhere in Scripture is it taught that there is a sudden leap to be taken from carnality to spirituality, or from a life of comparative unconcern as to godliness to one of intense devotion to the Lord Jesus.
It takes the blending of both of Simeon’s characteristics of justice and devotion… to become a man after God’s own heart.
Faith – Devotion – Seeking – Waiting. 'Wait' is a word so often underlined in my bible.
Devotion...
Devotion!
Yes, a love and a passion and deep, deep devotion to the Lord, but lack of love, passion and devotion is too often our weak, frail downfall – but we are frequently reminded in many ways what to do. Repent and return to your first love. Rev. 2:5
Every child of God that has been born from above and placed into the Body of Christ by the Spirit is equally enriched, and knowing the superabundant riches of God’s gracious enrichment, should we not walk in utter devotion to the God Who has so blessed us?
Although many years had passed since Peter walked with Jesus on the way, met Him on the shores of the Galilee, and was commissioned to feed His sheep and protect His little lambs, this aging apostle's love and devotion for His Lord did not dim with the passing of years, but was strengthened as he faithfully fulfilled his God-ordained commission.
Conflict of interest enters-in when there are two opposing loyalties - and the inevitable result is that greater allegiance, love, loyalty and devotion is given to one party, which takes far greater precedence over the other..
And so, as David's exuberant praise for the Lord climbs into an ever-increasing crescendo of worship and exaltation, his heart is suddenly moved into a hushed prayer of submissive surrender and deep devotion, as he recognises his own human limitations in contrast to the magnificent glory of God and cries out to the Lord, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.
What heartfelt devotion David displayed towards the Lord in his psalm of praise, Whose glory and greatness, might, majesty, dominion and power, so starkly contrasts with His lowly servant who is proclaiming his rapt adoration of His heavenly Lord.
The life of every Christian should be a consecrated life of singular devotion to our heavenly Father - a life whose purpose is to glorify God alone - until He is everything in our life and we are nothing.
Our devotion should be to fulfil the will of God and our delight should be to open up our heart to His love.
Our devotion will be a willingness to carry out the will of the Father in all we say and do, and our delight will be to know more and more of our Heavenly Father so that we may become a vessel through whom He pours out His love and grace to all those we meet.
The characteristics that the natural man so values are things like intellect, wealth, position, power, and success, but the attributes that God looks for in His servants is faithfulness to the cause of the gospel, fidelity towards the Lord Jesus, loyalty and devotion to those they serve, and steadfastness in the work with which they have been entrusted.
Let us search the Scriptures daily so that we will not be led astray from the simplicity of the gospel of grace and from purity of devotion to Christ Jesus our Lord.
May the words we speak, the acts we perform, and the motive behind all we do, be rooted and grounded in love for the Lord and a true devotion towards our fellow man.
The Burnt Offering was a voluntary act of devotion and dedication to the Lord.
It was offered by an individual person or group of people... and the significance of the fire which was to be kept burning continually, was a beautiful picture of continual, voluntary devotion to God.
Offerings and oblations that are simply following an established routine are unacceptable to the Lord Who desires that His people serve Him out of devotion, obedience, and love.
But not many years after their declaration of devotion, they broke their word and started their cycle of rebellion, retribution, repentance, and rest – until the next time.
Further, we discover that they rejoiced with a deep-seated hope, knowing the joy that was stored up for them in heaven - all of which was evidence of their devotion to the Lord and to one another.
David knew that he was surrounded by wicked men and evil enemies whose hatred of our amazing and glorious God was diametrically opposite to David's depth and devotion for his Lord.
By the time Peter, the big, brawny, blustery fisherman, was writing his second epistle, we discover he had matured into a modest and unassuming man who continued to express his deep devotion for his divine Master and articulate his immense gratitude for his eternal salvation.
What a glorious confession of love and devotion we see in Ruth's words to Naomi: For whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
Let us like Ruth, in humility of heart and self-confessed love and devotion for him, follow after the perfect Kinsman-Redeemer Who loved us so much that He gave Himself for us.
But the Christian that presses on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, through devotion to Christ and the pursuit of godliness, will receive a crown that lasts forever.
However, there is always room for spiritual improvement and so Paul ached to see them again, in order to further strengthen their trust in Christ, develop their spiritual understanding, and enlarge their devotion to God even more.
Devotion to prayer meant to continue steadfastly in prayer by coming to the throne of grace for mercy to find help in times of need.
Devotion to prayer is to ensure that every piece of our spiritual armour has been prayerfully strapped on.
Prayer should be the in-breathing of our Lord into the inner core of our being and prayer should be the out-breathing of our utter devotion to our Saviour and Lord.
Jesus is the foundation upon which our knowledge is founded, and He alone commands our reverential fear, humble worship, and eternal devotion, for in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and we are positioned in Him.
Simon Peter put into words the question on the heart of all the disciples: Lord, where are You going? Christ's cryptic message telling him that although Peter could not accompany him at that time he would follow later, emboldened the big fisherman to press the matter further by asking, Lord, why can I not follow You right now? and with his typical self-assured devotion, Peter boldly declared, I will lay down my life for You.
The love and devotion that spills out from this beautiful verse, in Psalm 16, warms the heart of all weary wanderers, as David joyfully displays his compelling confidence in His Lord, and writes of his utter trust in the God of his salvation.
And in this verse, we have another reminder of Epaphras' devotion to the Lord, and his dedication in sharing the good news of the gospel of Christ, for Paul refers to him as, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ - on our behalf.
Godly devotion, saintly worship and reverential fear of our heavenly Father is not perfected through multiplied blessing, but is often fine-tuned through the long night of doubt and sorrow, or during painful times of trial and tribulation - for it is often when we are in pain that we hold fast to our heavenly Creator.
Throughout Paul's epistles we discover an emphasis on God's Word and a devotion to it: reading it and studying it..
Sadly today, in both public services and personal devotion there seems to be a greater emphasis on emotional music and a seeker friendly gospel, rather than on reading the Scriptures, which has caused the Bible to become a closed book in many assemblies and Christian homes.
May we cultivate the spiritual discipline and devotion that is so necessary in the life of every Christian in this world which so desperately needs to hear the truth of the gospel.
In chapter 6, the author seeks to develop our doctrinal understanding and strengthen our faith in the never-failing, steadfast devotion of Christ towards us.
The more one becomes familiar with Old Testament 'types' (like Melchizedek and the Aaronic priesthood) and their New Testament 'antitype' (the Lord Jesus Christ and His eternal High Priestly position and Sovereign rulership in heavenly places), the greater becomes our understanding of superiority of Christ, His never-failing, steadfast devotion towards us, and His entrance into heavenly places as forerunner for the Church.
There are times when punishing circumstances invade our lives which God uses to hone us and refine us, to test our devotion to Him and to try our faith in His Word so that we may be purified in the furnace of affliction.
Secondly, he mentioned the love this little group of believers had for the Lord Jesus, as they 'laboured in love' and served Him willingly because of their dear devotion to Him and not simply out of duty.