Devotion is an action. It requires movement towards its object. Where once the Temple stood in Jerusalem and housed the presence of God, today we are ourselves each a temple of God’s presence (1 Cor. 6:19–20).
The temple now moves with us for we are God’s tabernacle. Whilst God’s Spirit dwells within us, it remains our purpose and responsibility to seek God.
Always present, we are too often distracted from recognising His presence with us. Just as we mature physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are to mature spiritually.
If our testimony gets stuck at the point where we first consciously acknowledged God, we shall never discover the full riches of God’s grace (Eph. 2:6–7).
Our own internal fracture born of life experience will pressure us to look within ourselves and to present to the world who in our eyes we might assume society expects us to be.
This failure to turn our eyes away from ourselves and look only to Jesus will leave us self-conscious and defined by self-comparison with others.
Then there’s the external pressures created by all forms of media. If these become the focus of our attention, they can only feed unreal ambition and desire which lead us away from God.
We carry God’s Spirit within us, but we must make the conscious decision to direct our gaze in His direction alone and trust in who He moulds us into and where and when He chooses to lead us in our life.
A Prayer To Make:
‘Lord, have mercy on me as I face the challenge of moving deeper into Your love whilst always tempted by the fruit of this world’s deceptive riches. Amen.’
An Action To Take:
Where are your eyes focussed? On how you appear to others? On your personal ambitions and desires? Or on the Lord and His purpose in and through your life?
Scripture To Consider:
Ps. 121 & 130; 2 Cor. 13:1–11; Phil. 4:1–9
