Forms of Devotion
Time in the Word | Time in Prayer | With All You Own | With Your Body
“Honour the LORD with thy substance…” Proverbs 3:9 We are instructed to honor the LORD not just with our time in prayer, study, or worship; but with all that we have (possessions, wealth). How do we do this? We bring Him the first fruits and free will offerings of all that God has given us (2 Corinthians 16:2).
We see examples of this recorded throughout the Bible; Abel offering the firstlings of his flock (Genesis 4:4), Abraham and the offering of Isaac (Genesis 22:9), the Israelites offering towards the work of the work of the tabernacle (Exodus 35:20-35), King David and the Israelites brought offerings as their prepare for the building of the Lord sanctuary, over $642 billion in today’s value of their personal offerings (1 Chronicles 29:3-9), a “multitude” of believers sold all that they had so that all would have according to their need (Acts 4:32-37), and the most important offering ever made was Christ’s offering and sacrifice of Himself (Ephesians 5:2).
Our devotion to God reaches into all that He has blessed us with. Even though everything under the heavens belongs to Him (Job 41:11), He invites us to return to Him (with a free will, not because we have to) the very blessings bestowed upon us. And should we do this, what will be our reward? “…He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” 2 Corinthians 9:6
Just as with our substance (possessions and wealth) God has given each of us the gift of life, He has blessed each of us with the body in which we live now. And just as with our belongings God as provided instruction in how we may offer to devotion to Him through the care of this gift. “…present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)
And why is it our “reasonable service”? We find the answer in 1 Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” We are not own, we have been purchased from sin by the blood of Christ (Romans 3:23-25).
God seeks to provide each of us knowledge, wisdom, and understanding; and through the record of history found in Daniel 1, we find Him doing laying this blessing upon the four individuals who resisted the worldly (kingly) food of the time and rather chose not to “defile themselves”.
We must also keep the word found in 1 Corinthians 6:19 in our hearts ,
“Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which
is in you?...” Can the Holy Spirit dwell and work mightily within
a body that contently tired, sick, and weighed down from the worldly life
style many are accustomed to living?
(Return to Time in The Word and Time in Prayer)
Importance of a Devotional Life | Devotional Living | Devotional Resources
