Devotion

Colossians 4:² Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. ³ Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. ⁴ Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. ⁵ Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. ⁶ Let your conversation be gracious and attractive^[a] so that you will have the right response for everyone. Devotion (def) - Devotion is deep love, loyalty, or strong dedication to someone, a cause, or a belief. It means giving your time, energy, and care to something without holding back.  In our faith walk, it means we are in love with Jesus, and that love causes us to direct our lives or redirect our lives to line up with what He wants and who He is. We are totally devoted to following Him in all things we say and do. Verse 6 says let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Our faith becomes a lifestyle, and that lifestyle is an example of Jesus. In this frame of thinking, our devotion causes us to think from the top down, and not from the bottom up.

We have a Godly confidence that is humble in nature and can sometimes lead us into anonymity, because we are glorifying God and not ourselves. Micah 6: ^8: No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Wouldn't it be an amazing change in the fellowship of believers, if we would truly walk like Jesus walked and live like Jesus lived. The result would be a koinonia fellowship that is birthed from a group of devoted believers who are actively living this life Jesus called us to live. God's Word shows us what to do, and now all we need to do is be devoted to following His instructions.

James used a word to describe this change in lifestyle, and that word is 'works.' The Holy Spirit moving and making changes in our 'insides' has a result that is true devotion that is real and lasting and Christ-driven.

James 1:²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. ²³ For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. God is saying look in the mirror and tell me what you see. Now, go and live the life I called you to live!!! BE DEVOTED!!

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David Warren