June 6, 2020 BEING DEVOTED
2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”
Colossians 3:1-2 “If you then have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.” Life has a tendency to become complicated, and at times confusing and difficult unless one knows as well as walks in his or her true identity in Christ. We must realize that even as believers, we can be deceived by the ‘craftiness of the serpent,’ that is, Satan. The antidote, or the thing that prevents us from being deceived is “simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” I love the word ‘simplicity’ in the verse above; knowing God and walking in His ways is not complicated-and for that I am grateful. The word ‘purity’ is another great word; in Christ there is no guile, and no deception, or falsehood. We are all devoted to something or someone, but being devoted to Christ is what makes the lasting difference in life. Being devoted to Christ means that our actions, our thoughts, and our beliefs are all filtered through the teachings of Christ and the truth of scriptures and the examples of Christ while He lived on earth. Being devoted to Christ means that when faced with a situation where one course of action is not in keeping with the ways of Christ, we reject that option and choose the way that is pleasing to Him and the way that honors Him. We are devoted to whatever or whoever captures our heart. With that being true, we must guard our hearts from anything or anyone that is contrary to the ways of God. The commands and the teachings of Christ are not burdensome but are the way to life, and they are not difficult to understand or to embrace as a way of life. We must know in our heart that Jesus came and gave His life for us, that He has joined us to Himself, that He is personal, that He is our Father, and that He desires for us to enjoy fellowship with Him. We must know that He lives in us and is always drawing us to Himself and is always desiring that we experience the fullness of life in Him. Simply said, let us be devoted to Christ in simplicity and purity. If we are devoted to anything or anyone else, then we have been deceived. Our actions, our attitudes, our responses, and our thoughts reveal what or who we are devoted to. May we take the time and ask God to help us examine our hearts and determine where our devotion lies. Only by being devoted to Christ, will we experience life as God designed.
1 Kings 8:61 “Let your heart be therefore wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, at this day.”
Proverbs 4:23 “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Luke 10:27 “And He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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