Devotion

This Sunday, Terry Virgo will be preaching in our Church in Epsom for the first time ever. It is a great honour and privilege to have Terry, a man who has devoted his entire life to planting churches, raising leaders and building God's kingdom.  Terry met Jesus at 16, got baptised in the Spirit at 22 and is still following Jesus as passionately as ever. At 83, Terry has not slowed down. He will be coming straight to us after an intensive three weeks of ministry in India, preaching most days, strengthening leaders, giving counsel and praying with people. Terry fathered Newfrontiers, a church planting movement that has grown to become a community of apostolic leaders with over 1,500 churches in over 90 nations. What makes a man so passionate and committed to God, such that in his 80s, he is still so driven to do more and more? Terry is best placed to answer that question, but from where I am standing, I think you can sum it up in one word... Devotion!

"Devotion is wholehearted commitment to God, to a person or to a task." It is what Mark wants us to see in Jesus when he recorded these words at the beginning of his Gospel. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1, 35, NIV).  This verse speaks volumes about Jesus' devotion to prayer. It shows how committed he was to not just working for his father, but being with him. Devotion speaks of faithfulness to someone or something.

Early this week, I was reminded of Ezra. A man from the lineage of priests, a descendant of Aaron who was captured and taken as a slave to Babylon. In exile, Ezra did something remarkable. He devoted himself to study, observe and teach God's word. This is how NLT puts it "This is because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the LORD and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel." (Ezra 7:10) A commitment that must have come from a place of sacrifice and selflessness. Ezra must have thought, who will teach us God's word in a strange and ungodly country? Instead of looking for someone, he worked hard to become that someone. He studied, he obeyed and taught the people. He did it while in exile, and now that the people were free, he continued doing it in Jerusalem. No wonder "the gracious hand of his God was on him" (Ezra 7:9, NIV)

The word the bible often uses for devotion is loyal love. It is an attribute of God that the Bible story portrays so powerfully through the creation story. We see it displayed in God's mercy and kindness to Adam and Eve after they fell. God's faithfulness to his covenant with Abraham and Israel is yet another example of loyal love. A love that is not dependent on what we do, but fully dependent on who he is. It is the reason God kept his promise of a Messiah we don't deserve, and many still hate and refuse. The cross is an eternal symbol of this devotion. The Resurrection is a covenantal and perpetual sign that this loyal love will eventually lead us to be with him in heaven. 

So, when I see men like Terry and Ezra, I see examples we can all emulate. I see men who are sold out for a cause. It makes us ask the question, what am I sold out for? What am I devoted to? What have I, or am I giving my life to? But perhaps the better question is, why are these men so devoted? What happened to them that made them how they are? Again, Terry will be best placed to answer that question. However, there is something common to all those who have devoted themselves to God. They have all met him! I don't mean just a casual encounter. I don't mean a superficial meeting, perhaps through reading about him, or listening to a sermon, or seeing him do many miracles. I mean, they have a steady, tangible and real relationship with him. 

When Paul said, "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all garbage, so that I could gain Christ." (Phil. 3:8, NLT). He said this after he met Jesus. His Damascus experience birthed a new devotion in him... "to know Christ." Until we meet Jesus at a deep and personal level, our determination to be like Terry, Ezra and Jesus will be fueled by human effort and lead to utter failure consistently. 

Here is a challenge for everyone reading this piece. How much are we willing to sacrifice and give up to really meet and know Jesus? Devotion to him will mean that something else we are currently devoted to has to be displaced. Love for him must eclipse love for anything else. In my experience, this cannot be just a once in a while venture. It must be a lifetime commitment, a pilgrimage we never complete until he comes to complete us. 

Now, my conclusion. I am inspired by Terry's devotion to God and his assignment. I wish and pray that I am as passionate for Jesus as he is when I am in my 80s. I am incredibly grateful for my birth father's example and the many godly examples I see in the bible and all around me today. But the greatest motivation I have for my devotion to God is God himself. When I look at other men and women, I am inspired, but when I look at God's devotion to me, I am undone! Ultimately, it is his devotion that teaches me to be devoted. It is his devotion that drives Terry forward. He sees me, he knows me, nothing about me is hidden from him, yet he loves me. His forgiveness, his salvation, his loyal love in spite of my sin and unfaithfulness is more than enough reason to devote my life to him. And I have, and I do again today. He is devoted to you! Will you be devoted to him?