Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. I Corinthians 6:19-20
I am not sure how to characterize the writings that I am sharing. Some of this to capture my thoughts and to help me think more deeply and clearly about a topic or a thought. Sometimes, it is a reaction to a discussion at Bible study, or a thought provoking sermon. Sometimes it has been a reaction to a song, either an old hymn, or to a contemporary Christian song. In some cases, I purposefully wrote them down to share as devotions as part of the practice of preaching to myself. So, I still have in the back of my mind that perhaps they would be part of a devotional someday. They are also somewhat of a journal, as I continue to grow in my relationship with God and mature as a man.
They are deeply personal for me, and in that regard, they are hard to share. But on another level, that is exactly why I want to share them. Preacher and Author Timothy Keller has tweeted, “Being public about your faith simply means not hiding the wellspring of your life, not hiding who you truly are.”
These writing reflect who I am, and more importantly whose I am. In his book, The Passion of Christ, John Piper says, “The ultimate question is not who you are but whose you are.”[1]
For me, Question and Answer 1 from the Heidelberg Catechism is probably the single most important document outside of the Bible that has shaped my relationship with God.
Q: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A: ‘That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death- to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of the Father in heaven: in fact, all thing must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to Him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.’
I learned this at a young age, and it has shaped my relationship since then. I almost always use it as a summary description of my testimony.
Devotion is defined as an “ardent attachment or affection.” It is often used in the plural form as devotions which means, “An act of religious observance or prayer, esp when private” [2] Many Christians are accustomed to the practice of devotions but probably rarely think of what that word means without the “s” at the end of that word. So, while perhaps these writings could be used for devotions and in some cases were created specifically for that purpose, these writing are my act of devotion to God, to whom I have an ardent attachment and affection, and to whom I belong.
[1] The Passion of Christ, John Piper p 64
[2] The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition 1985 Houghton Mifflin Company
A Long Intentional Walk 