40-Day Devotion, Day 7

TabletalkReader     February 18, 2018 in Religion 85 Subscribers Subscribe


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Preparation: Romans 12:1-3

God, Have All Of Me

When young Isaac Watts told his father that he found current worship music lacking, his father challenged him to create something better. Isaac did. His hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” has been called the greatest in the English language and has been translated into many others.
If you are not familiar with the song, you can listen to it here:

When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God!All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.

The power of Watts’ song is that it places us before the cross of Jesus, reminding us of the incredible sacrifice made there. Jesus was brutally scourged. He was mocked and insulted. He was nailed to a cross and lifted before the jeering crowds to die.And why did He do it? Paul gives the answer in Romans 5:8 – love! “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

How do we respond to such a great sacrifice; such a great love? In the final verse of his song, Watts comes to his great conclusion: “Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.” Jesus gave all of Himself for us. Now He wants us to give all of ourselves to Him – to present ourselves as “living sacrifices” to Him (Romans 12:1).
This week, our devotions will explore what it means to give God all of ourselves. What does it mean to give God your heart and your head? What does it look like to offer Him your hands and your feet? Your lips? Your mind? Even your stomach? How can we answer God’s call to offer ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice? This week’s devotions will attempt to answer that question.


As you prepare your heart for the week, keep in mind that worship means way more than singing praise songs. Worship is what we offer when we bow before God. When you present yourself before Him and offer to serve Him with all of yourself, that is an act of worship – a living hymn that sounds sweet in God’s ears. It’s a song we learned at the cross and we teach the world through our own service and sacrifice.

ANSWER THE CALL: DAY 7 Week 2 Preview
OUR CHALLENGE
Pray for the other members of your Home Accountability Group.
PREPARE FOR TONIGHT’S HOME
ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP:
Looking back on last week, list something (or some things) that stand out to you from your devotional time.
How do we know God loves us? Read the follow passages and jot a sentence that summarizes the “evidence” of God’s love found there:
Psalm 145:9 __________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Psalm 139:3 __________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Matthew 10:30 _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Timothy 6:17 __________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Jeremiah 29:11 _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Psalm 86:5 ___________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Psalm 145:8 __________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Romans 5:8 __________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

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