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{devotion} by Sarah Bender

Those who appear to be dedicated, but are more concerned about the passing time, cannot find the heart of God. – Pastor Carter Conlon of Times Square Church

The appearance of devotion can often be mistaken for the actuality of it. Devotion is not constituted by zeal or emotional gushings, but by a continual attitude of the heart and mind. Someone who appears to worship fervently with singing, dancing, raised hands and contorted faces is typically thought to be devoted to God, but it is not always so.

Several times I’ve walked into a worship service without worshipping at all, despite how it may have looked to others watching. I’d sing the songs, raise my hands, clap, and raise my hands again. My thoughts, completely elsewhere.

Isaiah 29:13 (AMP) says “And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips but remove their hearts and minds far from Me, and their fear and reverence for Me are a commandment of men that is learned by repetition, without any thought as to the meaning.”

Charles Finney was a revivalist of the mid 1800s who lived a life of devotion without compromise. He summarized devotion as:

“That state of the will in which the mind is swallowed up in God, as the object of supreme affection, in which
          we not only live and move in God, but for God. In other words, devotion is that state of mind in which the
          attention is diverted from self, and self-seeking, and is directed to God; the thoughts, and purposes, and
          desires, and affections, and emotions, all hanging upon, and devoted to Him.” ¹

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Written by Sarah Bender, 13 July 2008