The word devotion is attached to our Christian faith which involves our attitude to dedication and consecration; loyalty and commitment; zeal and piety; affection and enthusiasm to divine purpose and order. We are created to worship the Lord faithfully and offer our sacrifices in righteousness to Him accordingly e.g. our bodies are to be presented to Him in a holy and an acceptable way; our feet must be shod with the gospel of peace; our hearts must be pure; our lips must be used for praise, prayer and spiritual fruitfulness; our hands must be clean and used in honor, self-denial and fellowship. A devotional Christian life is a must for all believers who put their trust and hope in the Master of the Universe and the Creator of the heavens and the earth. David was a man after God’s own heart because he knew the value of quality and sincere devotion to the Almighty God as evidenced in the book of Psalms. The Psalms he wrote actually are being widely used today as devotional tools as many people could see the expressions of their hearts through the verses.

 

In Acts Chapter 10:1-8: Cornelius had a reputation of being a devout man and one that feared God with his entire house; which gave much alms to the people and prayed to God always. Even though, this man was described as a Roman Military Officer, he understood the meaning of devotion by offering himself, his substance, and his entire household to God. He equally understood that prayer, offering and devotion cannot be disconnected from each other. Everything offered to God by way of devotion must be perfect and flawless. Cornelius devoted his life to God and God identified his name and revealed Himself to him in a vision. Actually the Angel announced that his prayers and alms had come as a memorial before God. Likewise, the more devoted you are to God; the more likely you are going to see His appearing. The devotion of this man to God led to the salvation of his household even when Peter was trying to see him as common. God overruled for Him and specifically instructed Peter that what the Lord had cleansed could not be regarded as common. This man’s story evidently stated that he was fasting and praying in his house when the Lord visited him. What is the quality of your devotion to God and how acceptable can your sacrifice be? Put yourself on a spiritual scale and see how much you weigh.

 

It is very easy to substitute devotion with worldly allurements today in a world that is laden with atrocities and infected with sin. Devotion includes offering acceptable sacrifices to God; it includes yielding the totality of your being to the God you love and fear. It includes developing the right attitude; the right habits and the right character traits as a child of God. Devotion includes living a life that show-cases the fruits of the Spirit; fruits of love and the fruits of righteousness on daily basis and not occasionally. The devotion package must focus on wholehearted obedience to God; constancy in the dispensation of quality and sincere time in reading and studying the word of God; in prayer, fasting, praise and worship to the only wise and true God who deserves all the glory and honor, power, majesty and dominion for ever and ever. The Psalmist made a declaration in Psalms 55:17 – Evening, and morning, and at noon will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”

The devil likes much attention and you must endeavor never to give it to him because he is the father of all lies and an enemy of the cross of Christ. He likes to use a weapon of divide and rule to gain legal grounds for buffeting and control. It is very important that you do not give the management of your time to the devil through doubt, fear and unbelief which are weapons channeled towards distraction, discouragement, disappointment defeat and dismay. Your keenness and fondness must be towards the source and sustainer of life – Jesus Christ. The devil’s major activities are to kill, to steal and to destroy according to John 10:10. 

 

The Beatitudes as recorded in Mathew Chapter 5:3-11 will be our main text in this admonition on Devotion.

 

Mathew 5:3 - Blessed are the poor in the Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. For your devotion to be meaningful, perfect and acceptable before God: you must come to Him in lowliness and humility since God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. The poor in the spirit recognizes the supremacy of God over personal desires and have the deep revelation of God being all-knowing and all-powerful. They are quick to acknowledge, confess, repent and forsake their sins and will not live their lives in pretence. You cannot pretend to be righteous or holy in the presence of God because all things are made manifest in His presence. A humble spirit is evidently manifested in the lives of those who love God’s law. They are yielded and willing vessels meet for the Master’s use. They patiently wait on the Lord for lifting up when they are cast down and do not become lawless when their faith is tested.

 

Mathew 5:4 - Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.  To mourn is to grieve over and weep; it is to have godly sorrow whenever God’s law is transgressed because sin is a transgression of God’s law. Those who are teachable do not observe lying vanities by covering up their sins. They are conversant with biblical admonition on mercy and judgment. They recognize who God is and worship him with reverential fear and they have the attitude of willingness to receive directions, reproof and instructions in righteousness.  They do not remain under the biblical curse on those who cover their sins as stipulated in Psalms 66:18. Many people find it difficult to acknowledge their sins due to the diabolical (extremely cruel or evil) spirits that have dominion over them. As a believer; the Spirit of God in you will always prompt you whenever you transgress God’s law and it is your responsibility to acknowledge and deal with the situation as biblically prescribed. David said in Psalms 51:3 – “For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.”

 

Mathew 5:5 - Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. The meek are characterized with the attributes of inward quietness and submission to God’s divine will. They are modest, gentle and compliant with divine instructions. Their devotion is not permeated with self-righteous acts but they constantly look to the Lord for help and guidance with absolute reliance on the Holy Spirit. To inherit the earth is to take over and to govern and access all divine provisions; to enjoy God’s manifold blessings and to remain under God’s covenant relationship with His people. The believers’ walk is all inclusive in the way Jesus walked. The meek will always set spiritual goals and objectives in line with Jesus’ outlined standard. They do spiritual check-ups to ensure that God’s law is not transgressed and are always conscious of the fact that sin must not have dominion over them. They hide the word of God in their hearts and constantly worship and serve God wholeheartedly.

 

Mathew 5:6 - Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. To hunger is to yearn and long for; to crave and desire; to thirst for the Living Water who is Jesus Christ. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are those who constantly seek the truth of God’s word and practically follow Jesus’ footsteps to ensure that the life is lived by faith to please their maker.   Even in the secular; dehydration has serious consequences: to be spiritually dehydrated is worse because life without Christ is meaningless. Your devotion must include reading, studying and meditating on the word of God to nurture your faith and solidify your spiritual foundation. Your reading must be followed up with practically living and abiding in the word. When you are a doer of the word; your life will be transformed and the name of the Lord will equally be glorified.

 

Mathew 5:7 - Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. God is plenteous in mercy and those who recognize the impact of His mercy are equally mandated to show mercy to others. Mercy also includes compassion, kindness, leniency, benevolence and forgiveness. Those devoted to the truth of God’s word are quick to dispense all the ingredients of mercy to people unconditionally. They do not allow the sun to go down on their anger. Malice, bitterness, unforgiveness, hatred, resentment, wrath and such like do not characterize the life of the pure in heart. God is love and He expects us to love one another unconditionally. The Bible affirmed that those who refuse to forgive will not be forgiven. In your devotion; you must never owe anyone any thing but love according to Romans 13:8. 

 

 

Mathew 5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. The pure in heart are those people whose heart remain unadulterated, uncontaminated, unpolluted, untainted and clean. Their heart is unmixed, real, innocent and genuine. The heart is that part divinely inspected by the Almighty God. The Psalmist in Chapter 66:18 admonished that the Lord will not answer those who regard iniquity in their heart. The pure in heart will ascend unto the hills and dwell in God’s holy temple which means they will have constant fellowship and communion with God and rule and reign with Him. In your devotion; you must ask God to search and examine your heart and reveal the condition to you. The heart is noted in the Scriptures to be deceitful and desperately wicked. Your heart is that part of your life that you must guard with all diligence. Your heart must be constantly fixed on God and must be sound in His statutes. There must be a deep connection within your heart to the Almighty God who weighs all actions and discerns every thought in the hearts of man. You cannot afford a devotion mixed up with pretence, insincerity, deception, hypocrisy, flattery and such like. It is biblically recommended that you must not regard iniquity in your heart because the prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord.

 

Mathew 5:9 – Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.   A peacemaker is someone who promotes the gospel of peace: someone who brings peace and reconciliation to others. They have the attribute of calmness in the Spirit and they are not troublemakers or fighters. They strengthen the bond of unity amongst brethren.   They promote the doctrine of unity and encourage the message of love, hope and liberty. They are sensitive to the Holy Spirit and live a balanced and practical Christian life worthy of emulation. They do not take God’s grace for granted and will never misuse or misdirect their spiritual energy towards corruption. They constantly and consistently live a life that yields righteous fruits. Spiritual energy can be misdirected when people sow in the flesh instead of sowing in righteousness. The book of Hosea Chapter 10:12 says: “Sow to yourselves in righteousness , reap in mercy; “break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD till come and rain righteousness upon you.” 

 

Mathew 5:10, 11 – Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.  As you grow to spiritual maturity in your devotion to the Almighty God; you must totally and absolutely rely on the power of God to deliver you from disorderly and disgruntled people who love to censure, condemn and criticize. Since the devil is an accuser of the brethren; he utilizes people to distract those who are devotedly committed to God’s service. It is your responsibility to learn to live above offences and move forward with your life. Your devotion is to the Almighty God and it is Him you must target to constantly please. When your ways are pleasing to your Maker: those who revile you will obey God’s word by being at peace with you. Devotion takes you to the level of being a doer of the word and not just ordinary hearer.

 

The Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer evidently show the divine order in our devotion. When you follow the divinely prescribed order of devotion; you will be entitled to the heritage of those who fear the Lord; your life will be more meaningful; the anointing of God upon your life will destroy the yokes; your vision will become telescopic and you will receive the keys to the kingdom of heaven promised in Mathew Chapter 16:19. When you serve God acceptably; you are laying up treasures in heaven for yourself and your generations.

 

The Lord’s Prayer in Mathew Chapter 6 starts with acknowledging the supremacy of God and reverence to His Holy name. The Only Wise God that must be trusted whose will must be esteemed above any other will. He is divinely certified and authorized to validate or make things lawful. Like in the case of Cornelius; the Almighty God approved his person in spite of his limitations. The Lords prayer evidently portrayed the level of submission of man to God and recognizing Him as the source from whom all blessings flow. The prayer also acknowledges the fact that man cannot enjoin quality relationship with God without being forgiving and man is expected to also forgive those who trespass against them. It is also important in your devotion to understand that man is capable of falling into diverse temptations and that God is the only one that can keep man out of temptation and deliver them from evil.

 

Your devotion cannot really be complete and thorough without the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth; the Spirit of prayer and supplication; the Spirit of glory and your life partner in your journey of faith. The Bible confirmed this in Romans 8:26 that the Spirit of God takes care of your infirmities when you pray and makes the actual intercession with groaning which cannot be uttered. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of wisdom, knowledge and understanding: having the fullness of these attributes will actually help you to balance your spiritual life accordingly. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of love, power and sound mind so that your devotion will not include negative interference orchestrated by the kingdom of darkness. The true worshippers of God must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

 

Learn to live through; get through; come through; pray through to breakthrough. Your devotion to God is mandatory. You cannot afford to succumb to pressures of the world that make devotion to wear away. Stay tuned and connected to the Lord’s side consistently. Your devotional life should be refreshed and renewed each time you testify of the goodness of God. You must always learn in your devotion to count your blessings and give God all the glory.   Remember your adversary; the devil does not like testimonies. The good news is that you have overcome the devil by the blood of the lamb and by the words of your testimony. (Amen)

 

God bless you richly.

 

 

 

Oluyemisi Babajide