Dedication and diligence go hand in hand. This devotion discusses being committed to being holy.
Nuggets
- Holiness isn’t a character trait but about spiritual purity.
- Christian perfection is achieving the two greatest commandments.
- We have to be fully committed to God.
- Our job is to proclaim the gospel and make disciples — even if we aren’t the preacher-types.
Devotions in the Consistency Needed for Spiritual Growth series
I am not sure this devotion is going to turn out as I originally envisioned it. I was thinking more along the lines of a we-need-to-be-dedicated-to-the-task topic.
I think God is changing it to a we-need-to-be-dedicated slant.
Well, hasn’t He done that before? I though self-discipline was going to mean work on this list of sins. God said become a mature disciple.
God isn’t interested in what we do for Him. Really, He doesn’t need us.
Rather, He is interested in us becoming more like Him. He is interested in our character. He wants our worship and our praise.
So, let’s see where that road takes us.
Let's Put It into Context
My first veer off of the path I had set for us was with the definition. The Holman Bible Dictionary defines dedicate as “a general term used in the Bible to describe an act of setting apart or consecrating persons or things to God (or gods), persons, sacred work, or ends.”
It goes on to list different people who were dedicated. Included were the Israelites as a whole: “… you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth” (Deut. 14: 2).
Out of that group, God dedicated a smaller group as priests. Priests were “personnel in charge of sacrifice and offering at worship places, particularly the tabernacle and Temple” (Holman Bible Dictionary).
Israel’s Priests
“Appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the sanctuary must be put to death” (Num. 3: 10 NLT)
Israel’s priests were priests because they were born into the job. They were priests because God said so. He didn’t say Reuben’s sons were priests – so they weren’t. He said Levi’s sons were.
It had nothing to do with their ability – or even if they wanted the job. God said so – so it was so.
I know. I know. Just because God said so didn’t necessarily make them good priests. Case in point – Eli’s sons (I Sam. 3: 13). Well, even Aaron couldn’t live up to God’s high standards (Lev. 16: 11).
But look at this quote that I found. “The word ‘holy’ means set apart for sacred use, something dedicated to Yahweh and His work. Holiness is often confused with qualities of character or a sacred bearing. Holiness doubtless encompasses these things, but is much more. Holiness is spiritual purity, dedication, total commitment and a setting apart for Yahweh, His Son and His kingdom – being set apart for the calling and work of priesthood” (Hebrew Roots).
Ooo, let’s unpack that.
We know holy means set apart. Since we are holy, we are called saints. Saint means holy ones.
But look at what it says about character. Holiness isn’t a character trait — like funny, independent, and dependable. And like angry, bewildered, and cruel.
It is about spiritual purity (which is in the queue for a series of devotions). But it is also about dedication and total commitment.
Yes, that was where I was originally going!
Committed Hearts
“And may your hearts be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time” (I Kgs. 8: 61 NIV)
This verse is a part of the prayer that Solomon gave at the dedication of the temple. To me, it is a really interesting verse.
What Solomon is saying is, “Don’t give lip service.” If the Israelites wanted to worship in the temple, they needed to worship outside the temple by obeying God’s laws and commandments.
Anything less would be hypocritical.
But it is more than just our actions. Waite wrote, “A man’s heart must be ‘perfect with the Lord’ before he can walk acceptably in the path of His commandments.”
Let’s start with the hard part — perfect. The Holman Bible Dictionary says perfect is “reaching an ideal state of spiritual wholeness or completeness.”
I like the word reaching. To me, that means it is a process. “Through a covenant relationship with His people, and by grace, God thus offers to His people the possibility of perfection” (Holman Bible Dictionary). We’re not there yet, but we can get there from here.
We are in the process of being made holy and righteous. Righteousness is the result of a solid relationship with God built by a sincere life of obedience to God’s laws and commandments.
That process is called sanctification. Sanctification is the transformation of mind, body, and soul beginning with regeneration and ending with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness. Regeneration is the change in us that God brings about when we go from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
Christian perfection is achieving the two greatest commandments: “He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt. 22: 37-39 CSB).
That segues us to a discussion on the heart. Yes, we’ve talked about it lots — even using the Matthew passage in a How Do We Love God?
We’ve talked in Peace, Mercy, and Love about our hearts being at our center — our innermost being. That is our foundation.
Also, we’ve talked in The Fullness of God’s Love about how Jesus is the Word (Jn. 1: 1) that we are to hide in our hearts (Ps. 119: 11). Jesus is a major part of that foundation.
In Have We Lost Our First Love?, we talked about how we have to open our hearts to allow Jesus to take full residence within them. We lose our first love when we either don’t allow Him full control or we kick Him out after a while.
Obedience has to come from the heart. In Getting Obedience to the Heart Level, we said God’s Word is supposed to be a part of us. His laws and commandments are supposed to affect our character or our core – our heart level. If we are to engrave God’s laws and commandments on our hearts, we internalize them, and they change us.
How Are Disciples Pure in Heart? taught us how God wants us to get back to where Adam and Eve were before the original sin. This can happen only through grace. Nothing we can do or give up will purify us. If we don’t have the pure heart — or at least are not working toward it — we don’t see God.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
This adds — or at least pinpoints what was implied — that we have to be fully committed to God. Obedience does come from the heart.
If we are dedicated to serving God, the possibility of perfection will turn into perfection when we are called home.
Committed Careers
“For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Col. 1: 29 ESV)
My Ladies and I are studying Romans this quarter. I am really looking forward to diving into this rich book with the theme of the plan of salvation.
One thing we talked about Sunday is Paul wrote many of his letters while he was in jail. God had to stop the boy’s forward motion long enough so he could sit down and write what He gave him. (We call Paul the Energizer Bunny — he keeps going and going and going.) If God wouldn’t have stopped him, we probably wouldn’t have half of the New Testament.
One reason was Paul was so dedicated to the job God gave him. Think of it this way.
Paul’s “job” took him down the Damascus Road. Jesus intercepted him, and he did a complete 180°. Yes, he went somewhere to relearn everything he had ever been taught, but the change was immediate.
And complete. Paul became one of the driving forces of growing the early church rather than destroying it.
Paul definitely was dedicated to his job. “Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches” (II Cor. 11: 23-28 NLT).
No, Paul did not preach a prosperity gospel, one where financial and physical blessings are God’s Will for every disciple.
Paul didn’t think he needed to sit back and just wait for Jesus to come again.
Paul said, “Jesus made a difference in my life, and I want Him to make a difference in your life, too.”
And then the boy kept going and going and going.
Spurgeon made an interesting observation. “That the Christian life is always described as a thing of energy: as a journey, a race, a boxing match.” Nothing is staying still — there is movement.
Our job is to proclaim the gospel and make disciples — even if we aren’t the preacher-types. Even if we are the office support types. Even if we are the retail types. Even if we are the scientist types.
We have to be dedicated to that job. We can’t just focus on our earthly job. Spurgeon also said that the Holy Spirit usually doesn’t work alone when converting a soul.
“You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest” (Jn. 4: 35 NLT).
“He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is great, but the workers are few’” (Mt. 9: 37 NLT).
Making the Connections
- Upon conversion, we are set apart for God (holy).
- Holiness is total commitment/dedication, not a character trait.
- Holiness limits our freedom of actions — we try not to sin — giving us spiritual purity.
- This spiritual purity is being “perfect with the Lord.”
- Christian perfection is achieved by loving God and our neighbor.
Making the Connections to Self-Discipline
Okay, now to tie this to diligence. That is how we are getting at consistency. Diligence talks about being persistent. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines diligence as being a “steady, earnest, and energetic effort.”
Being persistent usually means we are committed. Commitment gives us dedication. The steady effort of dedication, of which we may need self-discipline, gives us self control.
How Do We Apply This?
I would say we work on our commitment. There are going to be days we don’t want to seek God.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
To read Has God Provided Everything We Need?, click the button below.
There are days we aren’t going to want to do something — like memorize. We have to be committed to God anyway.
I know this devotion has taken the scenic route to get where it did. Thanks for hanging in there with me.
Father. We dedicate ourselves to You. Lord, we commit to follow Your laws and commandments so that we may be holy in Your sight. Amen.
What do you think?
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