How to be Devoted to Jesus
Today, at least in America, being a Christian has become about acknowledging God exists, and that’s about it. But being a Christian is about being a follower of Jesus, about being his disciple, and about devoting our lives to him. When we truly believe in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and in the power of his resurrection, we are to repent, to turn from our sin into the arms of Jesus. When we truly believe in Jesus, our hearts are forever changed, and our devotion to him is the proper response!
But what does it really mean to be devoted to Jesus? Is it going to church? Is it praying before bed? I believe it is much more than that. I believe that to be devoted to Jesus, we must give ourselves FULLY to him. Think about Sandy and Danny in “Grease.” They are “Hopelessly Devoted” to each other and they end up changing themselves for the other.
While I argue that is unhealthy in a romantic relationship, it makes sense with Jesus. Hear me out, Sandy and Danny are both imperfect humans and they both have unique personalities and desires. So, changing for the other is really about changing from one imperfect human to another imperfect human. Plus, the things they change about themselves are just preferences, outer garments, not heart transformations.
However, when we devote ourselves to Jesus, our hearts are changed into perfect love, because Jesus is perfect and he is love. We are not changing our outer appearances to please him, we are changing our inner hearts so that we can become more like love and so we can better share that love with others. Being devoted to Jesus has to involve heart transformation.
The Greek word to describe the idea of devotion is “proskartereō.” It means to be earnest toward, constantly diligent, to be constant to one, and to give oneself continually. How do we do that in our relationship with Jesus? How can we give ourselves to Jesus continually?
Being devoted to Jesus has to involve heart transformation.
All of us are on different journeys of faith. We have all been followers of Jesus for different lengths of time, we live in different areas, have different families of origins, and so on. So, our devotion to Jesus may look a little different person to person, but here are some Biblical ways that we can all be devoted to Jesus.
1. Be Devoted to God
1 Kings 8:61 - “Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.”
God needs to be #1 in our life. We need to stay focused on Him. The world will try to distract us but it will never prove itself more worthy than God. He is the Creator of the universe. He loves, protects, and guides us. He is always good, and He is worthy of our devotion. We can trust Him and we can trust the commandments He has given us. We cannot serve two masters, so we must be fully devoted to Him.
Next Step: Ask God if there is an area of your life that keeps you from being devoted to Him. Is it money? Success? Social status? Ask Him to reveal it to you and to give you a way to stop serving that master. If money has been your master, maybe you need to make a donation to your local church. If success has been your master, maybe you need to give someone else one of your responsibilities so you can support someone else's success. Seek the Lord, and He will make it clear.
Other Scripture references: Deuteronomy 10:20, Joshua 23:8, Romans 12:1, Matthew 6:24
2. Be Devoted to God’s Word
1 Timothy 4:13 - “Until I come, devote yourselves to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.”
The Bible is a gift to us. It is a way that God has chosen to reveal Himself to us. We can read His Word to see more of Him, to learn more about His thoughts and ways, and to equip ourselves with truth to fight against attacks of the enemy. It is important that we know Scripture because it helps us to know God. It helps us to know what is true and how we should live. We must know and follow God’s Word.
Next Step: Join a Bible study. Begin a daily Scripture plan. Look up a Bible commentary. Ask a friend or mentor to read a book of the Bible with you so you have accountability.
Other Scripture references: Psalm 119 (the whole chapter) and Acts 6:4
3. Be Devoted to Prayer
Colossians 4:2 - “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving”
God has revealed Himself to us through His Word, but He also reveals Himself to us in prayer. We get to live out a personal relationship with God through prayer. We get to participate in Kingdom work through prayer. We get to lift up our friends, family, etc. in prayer. We get to ask for His help and guidance through prayer. We get to hear from Him, we get to learn about His plans for us, and we get to hear of His love for us through prayer. Praise God that we always have access to Him through the Holy Spirit.
Next Step: Spend 10 minutes everyday sitting still before the Lord in prayer. Download “Lectio365” or “Prayminder” to help you build a daily rhythm of prayer. Ask three people in your life what they need prayer for and then commit to praying for them everyday this week.
Other Scripture references: Acts 1:14 and Romans 12:12
4. Be Devoted to Community
Acts 2:42 - “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
A great way to love God is to love His children. He did not create us to be alone, but to have a family. We can learn more about God in fellowship, we can meet people’s needs in community, and we can be a source of light and love for others. The Great Commandment is to love God AND love people. A commitment to community, love, and fellowship has to be a priority. Our relationships with God are individual AND communal. It is how we come together in unity, which allows us to then reach the world.
Next Step: Join a small group. Invite friends and family over for a meal. Pray about someone in your life who has a need that you can meet. If there is something you have been struggling with, take a step of vulnerability and ask a trusted friend for help or guidance.
Other Scripture references: Hebrews 10:24-25, Romans 12:10, John 15:12
5. Be Devoted in Service and Worship
2 Timothy 2:15 - “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”
Worship is how we love God. Service is how we thank Him. He has given us so many blessings, the least we can do is try to “give back.” Yes, we do serve others, but it is meant to be in the name of serving the Lord. When we only focus on serving others, it can end up going towards people-pleasing and/or resentment. When we serve God as an act of worship, it becomes a delight and privilege. We do not serve as a way to “earn” love or affection, we serve as an act of worship because of the love and affection He has already given us.
Next Step: Write a letter to God praising Him for the good things about Him and thanking Him for all He has done in your life. Join a volunteer team at your church. Pray about what God might be wanting you to do to serve your community in a way that honors Him.
Other Scripture references: Romans 12:1-2 and Joshua 24:14-15
To express our devotion to God, we live out a devotion to these practices: The Word, prayer, community, and service. When we spend our time on these things, we will learn more about the Lord, we will be in communion with Him, and we will become more like Him. The more we learn about Him, the more we will understand His heart for His children and then the more we can align our hearts with His.
To express our devotion to God, we live out a devotion to these practices: The Word, prayer, community, and service.
I challenge you this week to consider which of these habits God is asking you to devote more of yourself to. I gave a couple of ideas for a next step in each area, but there are lots of other ways to live out these habits. I am praying that God reveals to you your next step and that opportunities to live it out are presented. This is a process and it may take time to discover what works best for you, but know you are not alone. We can all work to be more devoted to the Lord and we are all Holy in Progress.
With love,
Erica