THE 4-D CHRISTIAN -- Devotional for April 22, from "Good Seeds"

Be devoted to one another. (Romans 12:10)

Ever heard of a “3-D Christian”? He is one whose life is characterized by right DOCTRINE, DUTY, and DEVOTION. What we believe has everything to do with how we live. The Bible is our sole source for faith and practice. But these two alone do not constitute the balanced Christian life. We have this on good authority from Christ Himself, who commended the church in Ephesus for these very things, but then with a pained p.s. added, “But I have this against you: you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4). The word devotion is defined as religious fervor as seen in the practices of worship. But it goes deeper than that. We picture someone genuflecting in church, or taking communion, or praying at the altar, or lighting a candle, but true devotion is not primarily these outward rituals and observances – things WE do. It has to do, rather, with a singular and ardent loyalty and dedication to a person, that is, to God – the One we worship. Real devotion is all about a real Person, Jesus Christ. It’s not about what I do, but who He is. The word devote comes from a French word meaning “to vow.” Standing before the marriage altar the man says, and hears from the woman in return, “I will love and cherish you, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and absolutely forsaking all others I will keep myself for you alone, so long as we both shall live.” Real love, as defined by Christ, is no mere casual friendship, but commitment of the highest order, ready to live, willing to die, for one another. Preferences come and go, but a man with a conviction says, “I will die before I will deny!” Devotion has that same intensity of loyalty, turning away from all other diversions or attractions, dying to all other loyalties, dying to self and selfish aims and desires. How can we claim to be Christians without such a devotion to our Lord accompanying our doctrine and our duty? These three things flow naturally out of an intimate knowledge of and love for our Savior. But, after all this, the apostle Paul adds one more component to the Christian life: devotion to one another. John wrote, “Anyone who says he loves God but hates his brother is a liar” (I John 4:20). Jesus summarized the entire law in two commands, Love God, love your neighbor. It is amazing (appalling, actually) how easily we Christians can compartmentalize our faith to where we are so mature and skillful in the “3 D’s” and yet downright infants (dare I say idiots?) in our devotion to one another. The early Christians stood out from the world, not by their religion, but by their relation, as people would comment, “Behold how they love one another!” Is that a picture of you and me?