REAL FAITH IS DEVOTION TO GOD
What enters your mind when you hear the word “devotion”? It simply means, to be “set apart”. James 4:4-12 shows us at least three ways we can express our devotion to God:
WHOLE HEART
James 4:4 uses an amazing word (adulteresses) to rebuke spiritual adultery. Unfaithfulness to God is spiritual adultery and “friendship with the world” is hostility to God. Worldly, carnal values (that are accepted even by believers) compromise faith and we become enemies of God. In the Bible, our relationship with God is symbolized by different metaphors. God is called our “husband” (Isaiah 54:5) while other passages, describe Him as “faithful father”, conveying commitment, fidelity, and faithfulness. The church is the “bride” of Christ– and we have to make ourselves ready for Him (Revelation 19:7-8). To be devoted to God is to have a wholehearted love for Him. God’s jealous love for us is not the wrong kind of jealousy, but one that communicates deep commitment (James 4:5). God expressed His love and compassion for the Israelites and brought them out of Egypt, reminding them that He is a jealous God (Exodus 20:2-5). They cannot have idols or worship other gods. The nature of love spells full devotion – there’s no room for compromise. God gave wholeheartedly to us and He wants us to give ourselves wholeheartedly to Him as well. Real faith will grow, and we can’t be devoted to God if we do not know Him and love Him. Our relationship with God is much like the “intimate relationship of husband and wife…when we sin, we break God’s heart, as the heart of one partner in a marriage may be broken by the desertion of the other.” (William Barclay).
We must guard our heart daily! Solomon failed in this regard. When Solomon was old, “his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God” (1 Kings 11:4). Jesus speaks to this truth as well– reminding us that “no one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). That impossibility should lead us to ask ourselves: ARE WE FULLY DEVOTED TO GOD? The Apostle John addresses believers to “not love the things in this world”, warning against the lust of the flesh (making pleasure your god), lust of the eyes (the sin of covetousness and greed), and pride of life (you want to look good and impress people, fueled by pride) (1 John 2:15-16). Anything (even good things) that takes the place of God in our hearts becomes an idol: money, possessions, power, prestige, reputation, position. Check how you respond when these things are taken away from you! The Christian life is a demolition of idols in our hearts. To be fully devoted to God we must give our whole heart to Him. Don’t be like Demas, who served God but eventually deserted Him because he loved the world (Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:10).
SUBMISSIVE HEART
We are to humble ourselves and submit to God (James 4:6-7). But if we do not know the Lord, we will not desire to submit to God. In submitting to God, we are also called to RESIST the devil, so that he will flee from us. The devil seeks to devour us, waiting for us to fall into the clutches of sin (1 Peter 5:8). When we isolate ourselves, that is when the enemy puts in all the lies in our minds that only make us feel so much worse. But humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you (James 4:10).
David was called “a man after God’s own heart” because he was ready to do all of God’s will (Acts 13:22). Devotion to God requires humility which shows complete submission to Him. In contrast to David, Saul, when confronted for his disobedience, justified his actions and gave excuses, claiming that he did those things for the Lord (1 Samuel 15:20-21). Submission to God is 100% obedience! Samuel rebuked Saul, telling him that “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22-23). God rejected Saul because of his disobedience, and this drove Saul to something like repentance (vv. 24-25). But his reason was not because he feared God, but that he feared the people. He asked for pardon but then asked to be honored in the sight of people (v.30). It wasn’t really about God. David responded differently, when confronted for his sin with Bathsheba (Psalm 51:1-3, 10, 12, 16-17). A submitted heart, broken and contrite, delights in the work of God because you’re truly repentant and do not hold on to wrong motives and selfish pride.
SANCTIFIED HEART
James 4:8 commands us to “draw near to God” – obedience to this has a direct effect: “He will draw near to you”. A sanctified heart is intimate with the Lord. We must cleanse our hands and actions, purify our hearts, and not be double-minded. Søren Kierkegaard once said, “Purity of heart is to will one thing”. To remain pure, we must have the conviction to offer a sanctified heart to the Lord. We are to pursue peace and sanctification by the grace of God (Hebrews 12:14-15). When we fall into sin, our attitude must be not to take it lightly, but to grieve and draw near to God in full humility. Godly sorrow leads us to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). James 4:11-12 now takes us back to our speech – we cannot take the role of a judge and go on judging others. Jesus commands that we should not judge and to see to it that we are not committing the same mistakes (Matthew 7:1,3,5). We are not even to take revenge but to leave room for the wrath of God (Romans 12:19). We are to eagerly wait for the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20). As we do, our hearts will stay sanctified because we want to please Him and be ready for His return!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What is the competition to a wholly devoted heart to the Lord?
What makes it difficult to have a “surrendered” heart before God? In what way will you humble yourself towards Him?
What efforts will you make to have a pure and intimate heart towards God?
PRAY CARE SHARE IN ACTION
Pray for more people to give their full devotion to Jesus Christ only! Let your devotion to God overflow into loving and serving others around you. Be devoted to sharing the gospel of Jesus to friends, family and others you encounter wherever you go.