What Are You “Devoted” To?

Devoted: To walk after; live for; commit to; pay attention to; determine to; follow after; devoted to; constantly in service, …

“But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD” (Lev. 27:28-29)

Let me ask you a question: What are you devoted to? It may be to your career, a spouse, or your children; it may be to your parents, your health, or your wealth; it may be to a good cause. Or it may be to the LORD, or it may be to yourself. And for some of us, we’re not quite sure what we’re devoted to. But from the beginning of time, God created humanity for “purpose” and purpose has passion and devotion within it. We were created to serve the Lord. This service was reflected in our reflection of Him. He who created all things designed us to rule over His creation and to order, or manage it. He created us to reign with Him. We were meant to be “reigning servants” with our Father and LORD.

So what happened? Our devotion became divided. We know that devotion is a “deep” word. What I mean is devotion comes from the core, or heart, of an individual. But what does Jesus say about the heart that is divided in devotion? He says, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matt. 6:24). It is interesting how in the Bible there is no “in-between.” For it says that the LORD loved Jacob (blessed him) and hated Esau (did not bless him); there is either life or death, heaven or hell, good or evil, light or darkness, truth or error, love or hate, God or Satan. As I said above, we were created with passion, purpose, and devotion within our being from the beginning. We cannot walk around “un-devoted” to something or to someone. We WILL be devoted to something. And sometimes this devotion gets clouded by busyness and the distractions of daily life. But then we go to some worship conference or hear a passionate preacher and all of a sudden if only for a few hours, our devotion rises to the surface once again. But then Monday comes, or some distraction draws our attention away once again, and there we are feeling “un-devoted” and uncertain of our devotion.

So, what are we to do about this? Well, since we know God deals in “extremes,” as seen above. And since in truth we were designed from the beginning to live extreme lives. Also, we know Jesus, who is our example, lived a very extreme life, He was ALL IN! We also know the Apostles lived extreme lives and that the Bible is an extreme book. And Revelation chapter three is clear that God does not tolerate “lukewarmness” or divided hearts very well, it upsets His stomach! THEREFORE, the only option we have left is to “make up our mind” regarding who, or what, we are devoted to. This may mean we take some time away in solitude with the Lord to let Him search our hearts, or take some time to write down our schedule so we can see it on paper and view our priorities. It may mean writing down on a piece of paper every hindrance to your devotion to the Lord and then taking it and nailing it to a physical cross (this is what I did). But whatever we decide, it must be done from the heart, willingly. The Lord does not want “slaves,” He wants “bond-servants” who have devoted themselves in willing service to Him. Do you remember that verse from Joshua where he says “choose this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the LORD” ? Joshua willed to serve the LORD; he chose to. And Jesus said that anyone who comes after Him must take up their cross. He did not say “every person has to follow Him.” He just said that those who do follow must be willing to die, or I should say, “consider themselves already dead.” This cross crucifies you to the world, to its values, and its glory. This cross will crucify you to ALL that hinders Christ’s honor in your life.

I want to add that being “devoted” to the Lord can take on many faces. I mean that you may be devoted to the Lord and therefore you have decided to sacrifice your career in order to homeschool your children. It may mean you went to the school board and confronted them regarding their curriculum. It may mean you took a lesser-paying job in order to be home with your family for dinner and playtime. It may mean you threw out your computer due to a porn addiction. It may mean you had to face someone you hurt deeply and confess your wrong and make it right. It may mean you get up early to spend time with the Lord before doing anything else. It may mean you had to walk away from your extended family in order to obey God, and on and on. Being devoted to the Lord is between you and the Lord.

Lastly, being devoted to the Lord comes with fullness of joy. Being devoted to the Lord guarantees He is responsible for your life’s daily decisions and therefore He can carry your burdens. It means His shelter and covering are always present; He is your safe place and your total security; He is your provider spiritually, financially, emotionally, and completely. He knows how to care for His own who have placed their lives on the “altar of God.” And here is this truth: Once you have made up your mind, and devoted yourself to the Lord, EVERYTHING connected to your life becomes Holy and consecrated.

So then, may we reject the lie of the world that says our lives are to be “balanced,” and that we should do all things in “moderation.” If we are devoted to the Lord our lives will be intense and extreme because the Holy Spirit moves in power and authority; with love intensely; truth passionately, and full of glory! “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31)