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A Posture of Devotion

I have vivid memories from my childhood of my piano teacher holding a ruler against my back to encourage me to sit up straight while I played scales! She would remind me that good posture resulted in good technique, thus creating a beautiful sound.

In the same way, how we posture ourselves towards God determines the type of relationship we have with Him. It is less about a physical posture and more about the positioning of our heart; a heart that leans towards the things of God and is open and receptive to His voice. As the verse shows in Jeremiah 29:13, while there are many distractions and obligations that fight for our attention, the ‘door’ of a meaningful relationship with God is open to us. We have always had all of God, but does He truly have all of us?

Our key verse for this series is Acts 2:42, from which we will unpack the devotions of the early church and how these are outworked through prayer, fellowship, and discipleship. A beautiful translation of the word ‘devotion’ found in this verse is the Greek word “sebasmata,” which directly translates as “The object of your worship.” Here we see clear instructions on how we as believers can engage in devotion to God: through the breaking of bread, the heeding of the Word, and the gathering of believers. While these actions are beautiful and meaningful, devotion is, first and foremost, a heart response. What would it take for God to be the sole object of our worship?

C.S. Lewis said, “we have as much of God as we actually want.” So, how much of God do we really want? Our devotion to God is not about deeds and to-do lists, it’s about the posture of our hearts. We can come as we are. We can bring our whole selves to Him.

Devotion is intentional. It is deliberate. It is a daily choice to meet God’s openness with our own. A posture of devotion is one that responds to God’s generous invitation.

As you read these verses today, begin by asking yourself some questions about your own posture of devotion.

• What are the ‘objects of worship’ in my life?
• How can I be more intentional about drawing near to God?