We’ve been talking about setting our affections on things above. This daily devotional looks at how we priority God over all else.
Nuggets
- We are to put nothing before God.
- Disciples need to make sure that worldly things do not choke out the things above.
- Worldliness is the opposite of what God wants for us.
- We prioritize Jesus above worldly things when we truly know Him.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the On Things Above series
Setting our affections on things above is all about putting the priority on God. In doing thank, we minimize the pull of things of this world.
We’ve been looking at Beveridge’s sermon Setting the Affections on Things Above one section at a time. This devotion is going to be a little different. One section was too small for this devotion, and the next section was too big for the next devotion.
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So, we are going to combine this section with part of the next section. The heading titles (except the second section) are Beveridge’s words.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
Let's Put It into Context #2
When we look up the definition of affection in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it says, “the state of being affected.” Affect means “to act on and cause a change in (someone or something).”
To read a related devotion, click the appropriate button below.
In the Most Intense Degree
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, and even his own life — he cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14: 26 CSB)
We are to put nothing before God.
We come to this verse, and it generally throws us for a loop. How could Jesus require hatred? Especially, how could He call us to hate our own family?
This is one of those verses that we can’t just read at face value. We have to consider what it is really saying.
Jesus wants us to put Him as our priority. God has to rank first above “… father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, and even his own life …” (Lk. 14: 26 CSB).
When we do that, we are taking worldly things and putting them as a lower priority. Boston wrote, “The soul resigns all to the Lord; lays down all at His feet, to be disposed of as He will.”
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Jesus wants us ready to serve Him when He calls. South said He wants to act — even when it is the opposite to what we think — when we are called to do so.
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Does Jesus always ask us to give up family and friends to do His Will? No. He may sometimes. We have to ready to do what He asks.
It isn’t that we just do things that Jesus calls us to do. We have to also lessen the pull this world has on us.
Jesus was trying to get the point across that we cannot serve two masters. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Mt. 6: 24 ESV).
Abernethy made a good point. If we do not give Jesus first priority, we are not worthy of Him. We are not worthy if we are not sincere.
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We commit sin when we don’t put Christ before other things. Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Covetousness is an inordinate greed for wealth and possessions.
- Idolatry is the worship of an object that is below God that takes from God the worship that is His due.
Let’s go back to that word hate. Finlayson said that it was a word that denoted strong feelings and actions.
Again, I think we do ourselves a disservice if we don’t think about what this is really meaning.
Finlayson reminded us that we are to hate others in the same way as we are to hate ourselves. “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (Jn. 12: 25 ESV). To me, that is saying priority again.
Romans 12: 9 says “… Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (ESV). Read that again. Flat out hate evil.
Remember what the greatest commandment is? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mk. 12: 30 CSB).
Glossary
The opposite of love is hate. The opposite of good is evil. The opposite of God is Satan.
God doesn’t want us to half-heartedly follow Him. He doesn’t want us to justify sin.
Our goal should be to completely erase sin from our lives. Is that going to happen in this lifetime? No. But that is still our goal.
Look at how Finlayson described the hate we should feel for sinful things. He wrote, “It is not merely that the Christian may, after a struggle, prefer to remain true to God and Christ, rather than gratify the selfish cravings of his own natural life; he may positively hate these selfish cravings when they are tempting him to forsake his duty.
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We must live the way God wants us to live. That is putting Him above everything in this life.
The “What” of Prioritizing Our Lives
“but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mk. 4: 19 CSB)
Disciples need to make sure that worldly things do not choke out the things above.
This verse was part of the Parable of the Sower. It is the part where the seeds fall among the thorns.
This, again, is all about influence. Jesus highlighted two areas: cares of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth. Pentecost called that person a “double-minded hearer.”
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The thorns present a good picture of the Word of God being suffocated. Another picture I get is in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 when Baby Groot is trying to put the bomb on Ego’s core. Ego was winning at that point, so the planet was closing in on all sides around Baby Groot.
Satan doesn’t want us to prioritize God into the first position. That is where Satan wants to be. He will use anything he can to suffocate God’s Word.
Beecher made a good point on the deceitfulness of riches. He wrote, “Riches are deceitful in the insidious growth which they promote of the desire for wealth, quite independent of what it is worth in its positive power.”
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Robertson stressed that the ground was good enough to grow the thorns. It just couldn’t handle a plant and the thorns. Our hearts, too, aren’t able to support both good and bad.
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We have to prioritize God over the thorns. Beveridge asked three questions that were designed to get us to evaluate our priorities.
- “What do you most think of?
- “What are you most loath to part with?
- “What do you spend most time about?”
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We need to be intentional in evaluating the priorities of our lives.
There Is Nothing Else Worthy of Them
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I Jn. 2: 15 CSB)
Worldliness is the opposite of what God wants for us.
Worldview people may question the difference between their view and disciples’ view. Sometimes, they just don’t get there is a difference.
For example, they may question morality. They know the verse says “love one another” (Jn. 15: 12). They question why their morality isn’t that for which God is looking.
Robertson answered that one. He wrote, “Religion differs from morality in the value which it places on the affections. Morality requires that an act be done on principle. Religion goes deeper, and inquires into the state of the heart.”
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No, worldliness doesn’t mean we should be slackers.
- “Know well the condition of your flock, and pay attention to your herds” (Prov. 27:23 CSB).
- “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord” (Rom. 12: 11 KJV)
You see, worldliness isn’t about just living in this world. Robertson explained it as desiring the things of this world. He basically described it in three words: external, temporary, and delusional.
Jesus told us that the world should not be our focus. Aitken thought that should become more obvious to us as we come into contact with the world.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
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Why aren’t we supposed to be of the world? The world is rebelling against God. That will bring His judgment on the world.
God doesn’t want us to be a part of that.
We aren’t supposed to choose to be a part of that.
This Will Keep You From Doating (sic) on the World
“More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3: 8 CSB)
We prioritize Jesus above worldly things when we truly know Him.
We’ve talked about this verse more than I realized.
Verse Commentary
When we know Jesus and consider what He has done for us, we value what He has done.
I know. Henry said that is usually backwards to the way it normally works.
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But when we see that Jesus gave up Heaven, came to earth, died for us, and rose again, we see how little we should value things of this world.
Boston said, though, that “Christ is not only to be enjoyed but to be confessed.” That goes along with Romans 10: 10: “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (ESV).
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Confessing our belief in Jesus — and then living it — will help us to keep from following the worldview.
Making the Connections
We have to realize that this is all about God and Jesus. It is all about God because He didn’t turn His back on us when we disobeyed Him. It is all about Jesus because He died for us.
It isn’t about what we want or need out of this life. It isn’t about what we can or should do.
It is about what God has already done for us.
How Do We Apply This?
Again, Beveridge’s three questions help us to evaluate our priorities were
1. “What do you most think of?
2. “What are you most loath to part with?
3. “What do you spend most time about?”
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- Make Jesus a priority by giving up worldly things that take His place.
- Lay things at Jesus’ feet
- Family
- Possessions
- Recognition
- Our freedom
- Our desires
- Our life
- Think of Jesus often.
- Don’t be afraid of leaving our lives, even through death.
- Decide to serve Jesus.
- Obey whatever God calls us to do.
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Father God. We humbly come before You. There is nothing we have done or could do that would restore our relationships with You. Jesus did it all. All we have to do is believe and live it. Help us do that. Amen.
What do you think?
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