Devotion -- The First Habit of the Burning Heart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written anonymously on the walls of a medieval castle were the following words:

You call me Master and Obey me not. You call me Light and See me not. You call me the Way and Walk me not. You call me Life and Desire me not. You call me Wise and Follow me not. You call me Fair and Love me me not. You call me Rich and Ask me not. You call me Eternal and Seek me not. You call me Gracious and Trust me not. If I condemn you, Blame me not.

These words could not be said about Stephen, for he was truly a deacon who was devoted to Jesus.  He is a great example of the devoted Christian.

A-Stephen was a Spirit-filled man:

Acts6:5-"....and they chose Stephen, a man full....of the Holy Spirit."

1)Because he was spirit-filled, they couldn’t resist him according to verse ten.

2)The secret of D.L. Moody was not in his education, nor his speech, nor his looks, nor his wealth but it was that he was a man full of the Holy Spirit.

B-Stephen was a Stable man:

Acts6:5-"....and they chose Stephen. a man full of faith."

1)He had a faith in that he believed something and and that something was the Lord Jesus Christ. He believed in Him so much that he was willing to die for Him.

2)Michael Faraday, the great scientist, was taken ill. When it became evident that the sickness that had fastened itself upon him would soon result in his death, a group of fellow scientists came to see him--not so much to talk about science as to talk about death. One of them said to him: "Mr. Faraday, what are your speculations about your future?" With evident surprise to them he replied: "Speculations! I have none. I am resting on certainties." Then he quoted II Tim. 1:12: "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

C--Stephen was a Strong man:

Acts 6:8-"And Stephen, full of faith and powers, did great wonders and miracles among the people."

1)The divine power of God was upon him, not to exalt him but exalt Jesus. And it was to be used in bringing people to Jesus.

After accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, a person begins an amazing adventure with God, a lifelong process of transformation from new believer to fully devoted follower. The transformation is the result of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.  The transformation is also partly our responsibility (see Philippians 2:12-13). We must learn to identify the leading of the Holy Spirit and respond in obedience. It is only as we are filled with the Holy Spirit that we can follow Christ, surrender to His Lordship, be conformed to

His likeness, and become fully devoted followers.  I believe that learning to identify the leading of the Holy Spirit, yielding our will to His, and responding in obedience

requires discipline. Specifically, I  believe that four spiritual disciplines are essential to becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ. Therefore, I encourage and challenge every believer to practice these four disciplines:

• Grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ

• Connect in Biblical community

• Serve in your God-given ministry

• Share the message of Jesus Christ

As we develop and exercise these patterns in our daily lives, we experience both personal

fulfillment as well as fruitfulness for His kingdom! he four patterns of devotion are interconnected components of the growth process, not independent activities. They work together to prepare you to successfully navigate your spiritual journey, make wise decisions, and withstand the hardships along the way.  Let’s examine each The Bible declares without equivocation that Jesus rose from the dead and that He’s alive forevermore. Because Jesus is alive, He can enter into personal relationships with people.  When you accept Christ as your personal Savior, you enter into the most intimate type of relationship two people can have with one another. We become God’s adopted children, and God becomes our personal Heavenly Father.

John 1:12 tells us that to every person who believes in Jesus Christ, to them God gives the

right/authority to become children of God. Galatians 3:26 echoes this, “For you are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.”

Fully devoted followers exhibit healthy, growing and vibrant relationships with Christ. God

desires growth from every living thing He has created, whether it is a mustard seed or a

Christ-follower. The Apostle Peter put it this way, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of

our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…” (2 Peter 3:18). And so it is our goal to help every person grow spiritually and move forward on his or her spiritual journey.

In order to have this type of intimate relationship with Christ, we must realize that such a

relationship is possible. There are enormous segments of Christianity where this truth is not

taught, encouraged or believed. But what God wants us to experience is to know Him,

understand His heart, walk with Him and talk with Him like your best friend each and every dayabout everything. We also have to hunger and thirst for such a relationship with God. In Matthew 5:6, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

We need to be growing in obedience, not just in knowledge.In I Samuel 15:22, we learn that “to obey is better than sacrifice,” and James 1:22 urges us to be doers of God’s Word and not merely hearers. Jesus adds, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching” (John 14:23).  Devotion is a powerful habit of the heart that burns for Jesus.