Devoted

Deuteronomy 6:4-5: “Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'” Mark 12: 29-30 (NLT). He added the second command to “Love your neighbor as yourself” in verse 21.

I have a beloved cat named Spurgeon who will be 15 years old in May of 2023. He has lived with me 13 of those years. The Bombay breed has black fur, yellow eyes, and tends to be docile in temperament. In his youth he weighed 13 pounds. He has been so patient and gentle with each of my grandchildren as they came along beginning in 2009. In 2021 he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and lost weight to about 8 pounds. But with a special renal diet, he had been doing quite well until June of 2023 when he became too sick to live on earth anymore.

I am a pianist and every night when I sat down to practice the piano for church, Spurgeon sat on the bench with me, usually looking toward the music that I was playing from. I think he sat there hoping that as I’m playing my hand or arm would rub his head. He so craved my attention that he was willing to follow me wherever I went, whether it was in bed, in my recliner, on the couch, in the kitchen, wherever. If only I could be so devoted to Jesus as Spurgeon is to me!

Of course Jesus was the epitome of devotion to His Father God. In addition many Bible heroes like Abraham, Moses, Job, Isaiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, and Paul display true devotion to God (and Jesus) as they lived their faith. David’s Psalm 37:5 (NLT) guides us to “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you.”

Our Redeemer left the glory of Heaven to live a human life and take the punishment for our sins. The God of the universe allowed Him to rise from the grave which also gives believers eternal life with Him! How can I not be devoted to Him as I am living my life on earth? I show devotion to Jesus when I pray for others, listen to my friends, spend time with my friends and family (especially with my children and grandchildren), take care of my home, read my Bible and daily devotions, volunteer my time serving others, write in my journal, write devotionals for publication, and write for my blog. Thank you, Lord, for Spurgeon’s lessons in devotion. Teach me, Lord, to be more devoted to You!