Is your devotion to God genuine? Are you committed to Christ? How far will your faith stretch before it snaps?
People in love make crazy promises. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Just turn on the radio.
Justin Bieber declared his devotion in “As Long As You Love Me”:“As long as you love me, we could be starving, we could be homeless, we could be broke. As long as you love me, I’ll be your platinum, I’ll be your silver, I’ll be your gold.”
Before that, Michael Bublé captured the essence of devotion in “Everything”:“Whatever comes our way, oh we’ll see it through. And you know that’s what our love can do. And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times, it’s you, it’s you, you make me sing. You’re every line, you’re every word, you’re everything.”
And the most profound of these promises has been spoken at wedding altars for hundreds of years: “. . . in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, until death do us part.“
Sweet, huh?
What can these song lyrics and vows teach us about cultivating a deep devotion to God?
Hi, I’m Lauren Thell, author of Christian YA fiction and blogger for teens who are ready to exceed the world’s expectations.
In This Article
The Truth About True Devotion
When you’re devoted to someone, you don’t abandon them at the first—or even the 567th—sign of trouble. If the house burns down, you don’t stare at the smoldering ruins and declare, “Gee, sorry this didn’t work out. Guess we’ll go our separate ways.”
No, you rebuild together. You cling to each other for strength. Perhaps more pointedly, you stick with that person even when their actions leave you confused and wondering if they even love you back. You make a promise, then follow through.
This is true devotion.
God is Totally Devoted to You
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power . . . to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Ephesians 3:17-18
I could go into a whole, novel-length dissertation about how much God loves you, but for the sake of brevity, let’s keep it simple.
God doesn’t love you only when you’ve accomplished something and made life good for everyone. He doesn’t alter his devotion to fit your level of perfection or how much time you’ve spent reading your Bible this week. He loves you simply because you are his. And just to prove it, he purchased—with his own blood—your ticket for an eternity in paradise while you were still prowling the amusement park of sin.
That is total devotion.
Does Your Commitment to Jesus Go All the Way?
Anyone can claim to be a believer, but the real test of faith is how a person reacts when disaster strikes.
If an earthquake levels your home, you can shake your fists at the heavens and declare, “God, you are mean!” or you can run to him for providence.
When someone you love receives a terminal health diagnosis, you can wring your hands and decide, “God must not be loving after all,” or you can humbly place their life in his hands.
If your best friend is killed by a drunk driver, you could angrily declare, “There is no God,” or you can say, “Lord, I don’t understand what’s happening, but I still trust in you.”
Anyone can say she believes in Jesus, but those who are truly committed to Christ will cling to him even when life hurts or doesn’t make sense.
A Deep Devotion to God Means Committing & Following Through
The person with a deep devotion to God isn’t a fair-weather friend. He doesn’t pledge commitment to Jesus, then run the first time something rocks his faith. True devotion means clinging to God even when you don’t like what’s happening around you—and trusting that in his perfect love and goodness, he has your best interests at heart.
Yes, there’s a song about that, too, performed by Christian singer Lauren Daigle:
“When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move, when You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through. When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You, I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You.”
Go for total devotion to God and see where he takes you!
How to Get Closer to God: More Resources for Teens
You don’t have to have all the answers.
but, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.