When we talk about our “devotional lives” there are many different iterations for how that looks because we are all different people, with different personalities, who encounter God in different ways. But every Christian since the formation of the church has practiced this habit. It is the bread and butter of our formation.
Let’s look at 1 passage of scripture that was among Jesus’s final teachings to his disciples. It is in the Gospel of John: The gospel of John begins with Jesus performing very public miracles and speaking to the masses. But then we see this pivot. This shift from his public ministry to very private moments with his closest disciples. Jesus knowing his time is near for him to be crucified shifts to his final lessons — “if nothing else this is what you need to know about being my disciples.”
In John 15, we have reached the night of Jesus’s betrayal, and Jesus speaks to his disciples on the importance of abiding:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."
Jesus says abide a lot in this passage. Which I don't know about you, but this is not a word that’s in my everyday vernacular. But to give some quick context about vines — Jesus is not saying that he is the trunk and we are the branches. He’s saying he is the entire tree and we are the branches. Essentially he’s saying “before we even get to this responsibility I’m going to give you, I need you to know that you can find your complete and true identity in me and me alone.”
As we abide in Christ, he pours himself into us. When we are filled with his spirit and his love it transforms us to be more like him. It takes any identities we may have inherited from the world and replaces it with a true and secure identity.
A life of devotion is not merely a morning checklist, but a relationship we invest in always. We block out consistent time to be in scripture and prayer. We are disciplined to pursue God independent of our feelings. And we do that within the company of our friends. Having a devotional life is hard to live out, but simple enough to understand and start.
When we spend radical time abiding with Jesus two things happen:
One: We learn we’re far more sinful and flawed than we ever thought. When you hit that point the weight of that can feel crippling, especially if the chief aim of your life is to be a good person. But in reality, this revelation frees us.
This frees us from:
Free from pretension—we can love our classmates out of a deep security that our value is not in being more accomplished than them or feeling superior to them.
Free from being judgemental—when you know how forgiven your own deep flaws are, we can be more patient and kind to those around us, even those who hurt us. When we realize the depth of our forgiveness, we can extend grace and forgiveness to others.
Free from self-justification: the gospel frees us from the relentless pressure of having to prove ourselves and secure our identity through work.
Two: We are far more loved and accepted than we could have imagined.
If you were the only person in the world, Jesus would have still endured the cross for you. He knows the depth of your soul and he loves you.
God loves you and he is fighting for you. And he has chosen you to be his disciple. He has committed to loving and being the good shepherd of your soul.