Week 8 – What Devotion Means

Nov 23, 2010 Gary Henry D - Commitment

“Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).

If God truly exists and if He is our Creator, then we must see ourselves as “belonging” to Him. To be “devoted” to God means that a person consciously recognizes himself or herself as being God’s person and then lives accordingly.

The person who is devoted to God “reserves” himself exclusively for God’s use. The Christian pays his primary attention to God and doesn’t let himself be “used” for anything except God’s will. This is the best life that a human being can live. There’s simply no higher thing we can do than to dedicate every deed to God. Human greatness consists of devotion to God.

God desires to have a group of people who will see themselves as belonging uniquely to Him, “a holy nation, His own special people (1 Peter 2:9,10). And that is what the church is: those who have obeyed the gospel of Christ and who acknowledge, in word and deed, God’s special ownership of themselves. The church is consists of “saints,” the “set apart ones,” who keep themselves for God.

In the Old Testament, God entered into a special relationship with the nation of Israel. He said, “If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine” (Exodus 19:5). Later, He said, “I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people” (Leviticus 26:12; cf. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18). God’s “ownership” of physical Israel foreshadowed the much bigger relationship that God has today with spiritual Israel, a “nation” made up of people of all races and nationalities who are willing to devote themselves to the privilege of being God’s own people.

A large part of spiritual maturity is coming to understand the importance of belonging to God, devoting ourselves totally to Him in faith and obedience. Paul went to the heart of the matter when he asked, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19,20).

“So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; we will show forth Your praise to all generations” (Psalm 79:13).

Monday: Psalm 86:1-3

Key Idea: To be “holy” means to be dedicated to God, set apart for Him.

1. In a dictionary, look up the words holy, sanctify, consecrate, dedicate, and devote. What is the basic idea in all these words?
2. Can any person truthfully say, “I am holy” (Psalm 86:2)? What kind of person would be able to say that? What did David say in vv.10,11 of this Psalm? What was said to Israel in Deuteronomy 7:6 and 26:18,19? Consider Leviticus 11:44,45.
3. What is a “saint”? Is every Christian a saint, or only a special few? What does the expression “set apart” mean?
4. What does it mean that Christians are “sanctified”? What did Jesus say in John 17:15-17? In regard to young people, how does the statement in Psalm 119:9 relate to the idea in John 17:17?
5. How does God want His people to be “special,” “different,” “distinctive,” etc.? Is the difference to be on the outside, the inside, or perhaps both? Look back at John 17:17. What did Jesus say should be the thing that sets apart His people as a unique group?
6. What do we learn about sanctification in Ephesians 5:25-27?
7. What does the word “reserved” mean? Think of some examples in daily life where this word is used and consider how these situations might be analogous to the way in which we are to be “reserved” for God’s use.
8. In 1 Peter 3:15, what are we told to do in our hearts?

Tuesday: Psalm 18:21,22

Key Idea: Sin consists of departing from our dedication to God.

1. In this text, what did David say he had not done?
2. After his sin with Bathsheba, David prayed to God, “For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight; that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge” (Psalm 51:3,4). In what sense is all sin against God?
3. According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19,20, what thought should keep us from sin?
4. In the hymn Live for Jesus by E. R. Latta, these words are found: “Live for Jesus, O my brother, His disciple ever be; render not to any other, what alone the Lord’s should be.” What is meant by these words?
5. Think about Psalm 18:23. Are those who belong to God sinlessly perfect, never failing to do His will? What should we do when we realize that we’ve broken our dedication and devotion to God?

Wednesday: Psalm 62:1-7

Key Idea: God wants our love, our trust, and our obedience to be reserved for Him alone.

1. Describe in your own words what David meant when he said concerning God, “He only is my rock and my salvation” (v.2).
2. In Acts 26:18, what are Christians said to be sanctified by?
3. Do you think the word “exclusive” could be used to describe our relationship to God? What does this word mean?
4. In what ways is a person’s relationship to God similar to the exclusive relationship that a husband and wife have? Consider Ephesians 5:22-33.
5. What is meant when someone says that a husband is truly “devoted” to his wife? What can we learn from this kind of devotion that will help us have a better relationship with God?

Thursday: Psalm 95:6,7

Key Idea: We should see ourselves as belonging to God.

1. In this text, what is the attitude reflected toward God by His people?
2. In Psalm 79:13, what will God’s people do?
3. In what sense can it be said that all human beings are the possession of God? In what special sense, then, are Christians His possession? Consider Acts 20:28 and 1 Corinthians 6:19,20.
4. How are Christians described in 1 Peter 2:9,10. What had God said to the nation of Israel in Exodus 19:5,6? What was the “covenant” or “agreement” that God and Israel entered into? See also Jeremiah 30:22. What is required of us in order to “keep” our part of the covenant? Consider Psalm 103:17,18.
5. What language is used in Malachi 3:17,18 to describe the special relationship God has with His faithful people?

Friday: Psalm 29:1,2

Key Idea: We honor God when we worship Him in the “beauty of holiness.”

1. In this text, what things should be “given” to God? Compare this text to Psalm 96:7-9.
2. What does it mean to worship God “in the beauty of holiness”? Compare 2 Chronicles 20:21.
3. According to Psalm 4:3, who are those whom the Lord has “set apart”?
4. What is said about God’s people in Psalm 89:15? What do they “know”?

Putting It All Together

As God’s holy people, we are to be reserved for Him, set apart for His purposes. Our thoughts, words, and deeds are to be devoted or dedicated to Him. This most special relationship of a person with God is what it is involved in sanctification, or being a saint. Faithfulness to God means that we remain true and steadfast in our devotion to Him only.

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com