Song of the Day
“Whole Heart (Hold Me Now)” by Hillsong United
Devotional thought
Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service.
Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:1–2 (NET 2nd ed.)
What is whole-hearted devotion and worship?
According to Paul it is offering our lives to God as holy (set apart for His purposes), pleasing, and alive (a sacrifice that is alive not dead!). It goes on to say in Romans 12 that it is resisting the urge to conform to the patterns of the world around us that matter too! Paul commands us to instead be transformed for the glory of theLord by renewing our minds in the Truth.
Whole-hearted devotion has to include transformation based upon the truth of God’s Word and a life that rejects sin and lives in ways that are pleasing and acceptable for the glory of God! Jesus says that if we want to follow Him then we must learn to deny ourselves (our sinful and fleshly desires), take up our cross, and follow Him (see Matt 16:24)!
Why do we offer ourselves to God in this way?
Because of the amazing Grace and Mercy He has extended to us in offering Himself as our living and perfect sacrifice that paid the penalty for our sins! Romans 12:1 begins with this phrase,
“Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God….”
Romans 12:1(a)
I actually like the way the NIV puts it, “In view of God’s mercy”! Everything we do in the Christian life is because God did it first! We love because He loved us first, devote ourselves to Him because He devoted Himself to us first, serve Him because He served us first, etc.!
Making the personal connection
Whether it’s Paul’s words to the Roman church or the Psalmist’s words in Psalm 40 where he recounts how God delivered him from the pit in which he was trapped and set his feet on solid footing, we need to see ourselves in these exhortations from the Scriptures and use them as instructive guidance for our whole-hearted devotion!
We need to read the Scripture as a personal manual for how to live out our faith and worshipful lifestyles. Whole-hearted devotion begins with an attitude of submission to obey whatever we see outlined in the Bible for us, and to listen for the voice of God as He directs our steps.
Once we know what to do, devotion to God demands that we do it!
We must take up our cross and deny ourselves and make the choice to follow the instructions of the Bible. This is pleasing to God and something that will help us to discover the perfect and pleasing will of God in and for our lives!
It takes surrender, devotion, selflessness, and love to give ourselves to God in this way, but the result is so worth it! To the degree that we are willing to do this is the degree to which we will know God and see His power at work within us! And I don’t know about you but I want more of that indeed!
Prayer
Father God, I am praising You today for Your mercy and love shown toward me! Because You have devoted Yourself to me in such ways, I want to give You my whole-hearted devotion. I want to know You and Your power at work in my life. I want to know the joy of taking up my cross and following You. Help me to deny myself, and to offer myself as a holy, pleasing, and living sacrifice that brings honor to Your name always. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scripture to reflect upon
(Please hover, or click onto, the Scriptures to read the specified text!)
- Ps 40:1-5,
- Romans 12:1-2,
- Titus 2:11-12,
- Hebrews 13:15-16,
- Matthew 16:24,