Wholehearted Devotion 101
Gorgeous, I would need you to sit down while reading this because I really want you to understand what I'm trying to say.🙏🏾
First, sing this song with me, if you don't mind.
🎵
Everything,
Everything,
Lord, You are everything to me.
Everything,
Everything,
Lord, You are everything to me.
My treasure,
My priority,
Who can compare to You?
Great is the measure of Your royalty.
O Lord, I'll serve You till the end...
With everything.
🎵
Thank you, Gorgeous.😘
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Have you ever loved someone without a reason?
I mean... whether they loved you back or not, whether they gave you anything in return or not, you were still hopelessly, helplessly in love with them.
Have you ever loved someone so much that, if all things were equal, you could gladly exchange your life for theirs?
Think about that for a second.
Currently, it feels like 90% of the world is either in a relationship or married.
Singles in the building, can I get a "Hell yeah!"?😂😂
(If you're single and you didn't say "Hell yeah!", you're a hater and you're bitter.😂🫣)
Now, to the remaining 90%... God bless your unions🥹 You would agree with me that every healthy relationship has certain non-negotiables.
There are things you intentionally do because you value the relationship. You make time for each other, you communicate, you check in, you sacrifice.
Sometimes, you even give up certain pleasures simply because you love the other person.
Why?
Because your actions reveal your level of devotion to that relationship.
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According to the dictionary, devotion is the state of being ardently dedicated and loyal.
Now, in case "ardently" sounds like one big English word😂, let me help you.
Think of words like: desirous, eager, zealous, fiery, hot, enthusiastic, excited, geeked, athirst, hungry, pumped, stoked, voracious, wild...
Gorgeous, I hope you get the picture now.😂
This is not English class.😩😂
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Personally-and this is simply my opinion-I often think God uses many of the ordinary things around us to teach us how to love Him.
Sometimes He even uses the experiences we have with other people to reveal spiritual truths we may never have understood otherwise.
Let me explain.
There was a time in my life when I simply couldn't help loving someone.
To this day, I don't know exactly when it started.
I just know that as the days went by, my affection for this person grew deeper and deeper. Every time they crossed my mind, my heart would become excited.
And then...
Very quietly...
I would hear within me,
"Abigail do you love Me like that?"
Several times a day, I would pick up my phone just to check whether they had sent me a message, or I'd find myself scrolling through our conversations for no reason at all.
Then I would hear that same gentle voice again.
"Today... have you reached out to Me?"
"Have you spoken to Me in prayer?"
"Have you worshipped Me?"
"Have you opened My Word today?"
This happened repeatedly.
And before I even realised what God was doing, my attention slowly began shifting. Instead of constantly reaching for my phone, I found myself reaching for my Bible. Instead of thinking only about that person, I found myself talking to God more. Instead of longing only for human companionship, my soul slowly began learning to long for His presence.
That season taught me something I don't think I'll ever forget; if my heart could long for another human being that deeply...
Then it is capable of longing for God that deeply too.
No excuses.
No filters.
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Gorgeous, today's write-up isn't to criticise your relationship. Far from it. I simply came to ask you a question.
The way you love that significant other...
Do you love God so?
I'm not talking about a love that only appears when you need something. I'm talking about the kind of love that produces devotion.
The kind that seeks Him simply because your heart delights in Him. The kind that wants to spend time with Him. The kind that misses Him.
The kind that cannot go a day without hearing His voice.
Perhaps...
Some people come into our lives not merely to be loved, but because through loving them, God teaches us what wholehearted devotion looks like.
So that one day we can truly say,
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs for You, O God." (Psalm 42:1)
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"I long to drink of you, O God, to drink deeply from the streams of pleasure flowing from your presence. My longings overwhelm me for more of you!" (Psalms 42:1 TPT)
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"As the deer pants [longingly] for the water brooks, So my soul pants [longingly] for You, O God." (Psalms 41:1 AMP)
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"A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep drafts of God. I’m thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, “Will I ever make it— arrive and drink in God’s presence?” I’m on a diet of tears— tears for breakfast, tears for supper. All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, “Where is this God of yours?” (Psalms 42:1-3 MSG)
Because before you were ever devoted to Him...
He was already devoted to you.
He proved it on the Cross.
With love,
Imma.🤍
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