New Dedication

“Then Moses said, ‘Dedicate yourselves today to the LORD…in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today’” (Deuteronomy 23:29).

At our baptism we made a decision to dedicate our lives to God. It is a wonderful decision to follow God, but if we look back on our lives in the past year, it is certain we will find room for improvement. None of us are 100% perfect in our dedication, but if we are willing to improve, God will bless us. Taking our dedication to a higher degree will help get our life right with our Creator.

First, our attitude toward the assembly becomes right. It is sad that assembling to worship always seems to be the last priority on some people’s list. Some choose to stay home because they want to see something on TV, or maybe because they want to spend time with family. Whatever the reason, there are those that have placed assembling with the saints at the bottom of their priority list. The Hebrew writer shows this way of thinking is not in accordance to truth: “…not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25). Jesus taught His disciples the importance of a spiritually aligned priority list: "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). We have been taught to place our relationship with God as top priority with the reminder that judgment day is drawing near.

Second, with renewed dedication our attitude toward Bible study becomes right. Sometimes our lives become so busy we can’t seem to find time to sit down and study God’s word. The psalmist expressed the importance of dedication to the understanding God’s word: “Let my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word” (Psalm 119:169). When our dedication to God’s word diminishes, our understanding of God diminishes, and along with it, our love for God diminishes. His way can only be found by following His path (Jeremiah 6:16). Dedication to studying God’s word is of utmost importance if we want to travel down the “ancient paths.”

Thirdly, renewed dedication will make our prayer lives right. Paul speaks of a dedicated prayer life when he wrote, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). He knew and wanted others to know the power of a dedicated prayer life. God’s ears are attentive to the person who is persistent in his or her prayer life because it shows an active faith in the promise of God’s power to work in the lives of the prayer. We can rejoice knowing God is faithful to His promises and will provide the power we need to change the direction our lives and love

Dedication is an important part of the Christian walk. God blessed the dedication of His Son to accomplish His will as Jesus conquered every obstacle that stood before Him. God will bless our efforts also if we will rededicate our lives to that same purpose.

In His Grace,
CubNew Dedication