I still promise to finish Malachi...eventually! :o)
Man. I don't like the word "devotions" or even "devos" as it is used in our modern, American language. The irony is that when I Googled the definition for "devotion" I got two answers.
1. Prayers or religious observances.
Sadly, I think this is where we are at. Not that prayer and religious observances are wrong, but it just sounds so bland (especially after I give you the other one). There is a lack of passion or relationship in this definition. It's just another observance we do because our youth leaders kept hassling us to do our devos and made us feel guilty if we weren't doing them. As though the act itself was the issue. But it isn't. It is the symptom to a greater problem that many of us face. So, let's look at the other definition.
2. Love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause.
See, now that sounds so much more exciting. It is about love (remember, part of worship is showing deep love) and it is about being excited. But...in our Christian context what does that mean?
It means that I don't do my "devotions" because I HAVE to. I don't even do them because I intellectually know the benefits of it. Now, we all know that there are times when we do this...though I will argue in a minute that we shouldn't. We at least shouldn't be calling it "devos." This falls under the "religious observance" category and God really isn't pleased with that.
No, what we are looking for is a Romans 5:6-8/1 Corinthians 10:31/Col 3:16-17/Philippians 4:4-9 mentality. It is a response to God's great love and our desire to live the way that Scripture teaches us to. Thankfulness is everywhere in Scripture (including the passages above) and we aren't nearly thankful enough a lot of the time.
So, why would I say that we shouldn't be getting into God's Word as a mere "religious observance." "But Nate, isn't it better to get something than to get nothing at all?" I've been asked that (or something similar) by plenty of men that I greatly respect. However, I think this is a misunderstanding of the God we serve and love. (Don't misunderstand me here. If you are exhausted after a long day but you really want to get into God's Word and pray, then jump in. God will give you the energy needed or you won't make it and it is better to try than to give in to fatigue and neglect your most important relationship. This is when we just don't feel like it.) God isn't in heaven going, "Well, at least he's trying to talk to me and read my Word so I'll take whatever I can get." Not at all. I believe God is in heaven going, "You know, Nate, there is a reason that you don't feel like expressing gratitude toward me or spending time with. You either need to reflect on what that barrier is or pray and ask me to show you so that you can actually worship while showing 'devotion' to me. I don't need your second best. I want to help you get to where you can be so that you can give me your best."
THAT is the God we serve and love. That is a God who loves us and doesn't want us wasting our time. Reading the Bible and getting "something instead of nothing" doesn't deal with whatever root issue is causing the problem and can actually function like a band-aid so that you feel better and don't try to fix it at all. Except, this is a band-aid on top of a bite from a poisonous snake. That isn't going to help anything or fix anything.
Man. I don't like the word "devotions" or even "devos" as it is used in our modern, American language. The irony is that when I Googled the definition for "devotion" I got two answers.
1. Prayers or religious observances.
Sadly, I think this is where we are at. Not that prayer and religious observances are wrong, but it just sounds so bland (especially after I give you the other one). There is a lack of passion or relationship in this definition. It's just another observance we do because our youth leaders kept hassling us to do our devos and made us feel guilty if we weren't doing them. As though the act itself was the issue. But it isn't. It is the symptom to a greater problem that many of us face. So, let's look at the other definition.
2. Love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause.
See, now that sounds so much more exciting. It is about love (remember, part of worship is showing deep love) and it is about being excited. But...in our Christian context what does that mean?
It means that I don't do my "devotions" because I HAVE to. I don't even do them because I intellectually know the benefits of it. Now, we all know that there are times when we do this...though I will argue in a minute that we shouldn't. We at least shouldn't be calling it "devos." This falls under the "religious observance" category and God really isn't pleased with that.
No, what we are looking for is a Romans 5:6-8/1 Corinthians 10:31/Col 3:16-17/Philippians 4:4-9 mentality. It is a response to God's great love and our desire to live the way that Scripture teaches us to. Thankfulness is everywhere in Scripture (including the passages above) and we aren't nearly thankful enough a lot of the time.
So, why would I say that we shouldn't be getting into God's Word as a mere "religious observance." "But Nate, isn't it better to get something than to get nothing at all?" I've been asked that (or something similar) by plenty of men that I greatly respect. However, I think this is a misunderstanding of the God we serve and love. (Don't misunderstand me here. If you are exhausted after a long day but you really want to get into God's Word and pray, then jump in. God will give you the energy needed or you won't make it and it is better to try than to give in to fatigue and neglect your most important relationship. This is when we just don't feel like it.) God isn't in heaven going, "Well, at least he's trying to talk to me and read my Word so I'll take whatever I can get." Not at all. I believe God is in heaven going, "You know, Nate, there is a reason that you don't feel like expressing gratitude toward me or spending time with. You either need to reflect on what that barrier is or pray and ask me to show you so that you can actually worship while showing 'devotion' to me. I don't need your second best. I want to help you get to where you can be so that you can give me your best."
THAT is the God we serve and love. That is a God who loves us and doesn't want us wasting our time. Reading the Bible and getting "something instead of nothing" doesn't deal with whatever root issue is causing the problem and can actually function like a band-aid so that you feel better and don't try to fix it at all. Except, this is a band-aid on top of a bite from a poisonous snake. That isn't going to help anything or fix anything.
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