Devoted

I am so glad you stopped by my blog today. If you are visiting from the Proverbs 31 daily devotion, then welcome! And welcome to all my daily visitors and email subscribers too!

Todays devotion was focused on living by God's "blueprints", better known as The Word.

Just like when God allowed Josiah's men to find His instructions in the Temple that had been long forgotten, when we neglect God's instructions and fail to follow His guidelines for living, He will eventually find a way to open our eyes, move our hearts, and inspire us to go back to the ways we know are right.

Sometimes that task of getting back to our faith is easy - but other times, it might be easier said than done.

Changing direction in life or in our actions or behaviors, or just standing up for what is right in God's eyes and not the opinion of the world, can not only be hard, but can also cause us to run head first into opposition to people who do not share our beliefs.

In the face of opposition, or temptation, standing up for what is right in God's eyes gets even harder. The only way to have the strength to persevere, is by leaning on Christ and staying plugged into Him.

I can only imagine that when King Josiah realized that he and his kingdom had been living in chronic defiance against God's instructions (2 Kings), causing him to "clean house" and get rid of all detestable things in God's eyes while trying to make right all the wrongs, he was surely faced with fierce opposition from people.

Although the Bible does not describe that opposition, common sense about human nature tells us that it must have been so. I feel sure that there must have been some backlash from those who did not believe that God's blueprints held truths, maybe even accusing Josiah that his actions were unwarranted and ridiculous. Maybe he was threatened, or feared for his own life even though he was king.

But Josiah was devoted to His God - at all costs. He believed God's Word to be the ultimate truth, above all else, and that devotion resulted in a changed life, and is what kept his heart focused and on fire for God.

Just recently, one of my daughters went on a worship trip with our church youth group to Daytona, Florida, returning home last weekend. Let me tell you - she has not come down from her spiritual mountaintop yet! My heart has been overflowing with joy and gratitude for what God did in her heart, and the hearts of all the teens that went on the trip.

The theme for worship over their youth week was DEVOTION. Devotion to God, His Word, His truths, His ways.... His blueprints for living, all of which are timeless and relevant to every generation.

My daughter's ignited passion for Christ has ignited mine as well, and permeated our family. She has been filling the house with praise songs every day, pouring joy into the atmosphere of our home. She has been an inspiration to other youth as she praised God with her whole heart, committed to be devoted, and stand up for what she knows to be the Truth.

Josiah was only 26 years old when He stood up and made drastic changes in himself, and an entired kingdom, in order to be devoted to God with His whole heart - so that His life could be an example that glorifies God.

My daughter is only 14, but has decided to be more devoted to her faith, so that her life can glorify God as she stands strong in Him. Forty other teens on their trip made this same amazing committment last week as well.

You, and I, can take a stand today to be devoted --- completely sold out for Christ --- stronger than ever before--- when we make God's Word the blueprints that we study every day as we build our lives.

If you are ready to turn your life over to Christ, stand up against something that is wrong, cease participating in things that you know are not abiding by God's blueprints, or just recommitt to being fully devoted to your Savior and His Word, leave a comment today professing your desire to stand up for your faith, at all costs.

Every day, there are people who are not afraid to be devoted to Christ, even in the face of great opposition. Their devotion may result in some sacrifices and even hardships - but God will use them to powerfully impact the hearts of others - one person at a time.

Today is the first day of the rest of our life - and a great day to get truly devoted to Christ.

Let's be stronger than we have ever been.

Special video: My daughter (far left, sitting down in video) and her two best friends singing a worship song that they wrote the music and God-inspired lyrics for while on their youth trip. Watching these teens sing and praise God without reservation, with hearts full of devotion to stand up for Christ in their generation, brings tears to my eyes. I hope it will inspire you too. (Email subscribers click here)

(Check back on Wednesday for a follow up post about the importance of staying in God's Word to keep our faith on fire, or sign up on the right sidebar to automatically receive future posts in email)