Our God Will See Us ThroughSample

DEVOTION

By Lauren Lee Anderson

I often confuse devotion with checking things off my spiritual to-do list. Whether that’s a natural part of my personality or a reflection of my poor understanding from an early age of what God requires of me, devotion is something I’ve always struggled with. Surely going to church each Sunday, setting aside time to read my Bible, and being charitable to others is the measure of being devoted to God, right? While all these things can be a representation of devotion, without a heart of adoration, they become stale, lifeless, and legalistic.

I can’t help but feel like my understanding of devotion is lacking a bit of heart when I read in Mark 14 about the woman who poured her perfume onto Jesus. Jesus was dining at the home of Simon the Leper as she seemingly interrupted the meal. This unnamed woman didn’t gingerly pour out a few drops of expensive oil. She broke the entire jar over Jesus’s head. She willingly offered what she had as a sacrifice to someone she found worthy of the cost. And when others in attendance questioned her act as wasteful, Jesus instructed them to leave her alone. He viewed her action of devotion as a beautiful thing. He said what she did would be used to prepare his body for burial—and that, when his gospel was preached throughout the world, her act of devotion would be told in memory of her.

The most impactful part of her devotion is that it wasn’t calculated or measured. She couldn’t have known how God would use her one simple act. She had encountered Jesus, and it changed everything for her. And everything she owned paled in comparison to who Jesus was to her. Worshipping him was worth whatever it cost. She poured out all her devotion to him.

How do you define devotion to Jesus? Is there anything you hold more precious to you than him? Are you holding back your devotion? True devotion involves your whole heart. What could it look like for you to recklessly pour out your resources, your trust, and your worship to him? He is worthy of the cost.