What does it mean to be devout?

Answer

To be devout simply means to be deeply dedicated to a belief or cause. Many people are passionate about, closely follow, or are dedicated followers of sports teams, political figures, environmental causes, or other lifestyles and beliefs. While being committed to certain causes may impact the world, what ultimately matters is if a person is devoted to Jesus.

The Bible teaches that we should be faithful followers of the Lord Jesus. The primary commitment of our lives should be to God. Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38). Since God the Father sent the Son and glorifies Him, a commitment to God requires a commitment to the Son (John 5:38; John 8:54; John 14:6). Those who do not follow Jesus wholeheartedly are dedicating themselves to something else and are thereby rejecting God. We are warned in Matthew 6:24 that we cannot serve two masters. There are no half measures; either a person is devoted to God, or he is not.

In the dedication of the temple, King Solomon challenges the people of Israel to be devout and in doing so explains what devotion to God entails: “Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments” «Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day. », (1 Kings 8:61, NASB). The essence of devotion is obedience. Unfortunately, Solomon did not heed his own advice but later fell into idolatry: “When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; an

And his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been” “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.”, (1 Kings 11:4, NASB).

Every true Christian is devout; you cannot half-heartedly serve or live for Jesus. You also cannot serve God and live for something else. Jesus made it clear that anyone who follows Him must first count the cost and decide if he will follow Him completely: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it” (Luke 9:23-24). A true follower of Christ is devout because he or she commits every part of his or her life to loving and living for God. This is not done out of obligation or to earn salvation or God’s favor. Instead, we give everything to God because He gave everything to us (John 3:16; Acts 17:25).

Being devoted to a cause can be good or bad, depending on the object of the devotion. Some people are devoted to Buddhism, others to the Virgin Mary, and still others to the writings of L. Ron Hubbard. But not Buddha, Mary, or Hubbard can bring a person closer to God—devotion to them is misplaced.

The Bible says that God’s people are, first and foremost, to have “sincere and pure devotion to Christ” “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”, (2 Corinthians 11:3). We are to be devoted.

dedicated to prayer «Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; », (Colossians 4:2) and to fellow believers: “Be devoted to one another in love” «Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; », (Romans 12:10). Those who love God are to hate evil «Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: He preserveth the souls of his saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. », (Psalm 97:10), so being devoted to God is to practice personal holiness. The early church is described as being devoted to four important things: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” «And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. », (Acts 2:42).

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were devout and pious outwardly, but Jesus said they were just performing religiously for show «But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, », (Matthew 23:5). Jesus knew their true hearts and intentions. He told them, “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering” «Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. », (Luke 11:52). Outward demons

Actions of piety driven by pride or selfishness, or the addition of rules to the Bible while asserting they reflect God’s will, do not stem from true devotion to God. Instead, they arise from self-centeredness—self-righteous devotion. God desires devoted disciples—those who sincerely seek and obey Him—not religious adherents who rely on their own abilities, regulations, or customs to earn God’s favor.

Similarly, we cannot profess to follow Christ while conforming to worldly standards in our beliefs or behaviors. In Revelation 3:15–16, the Lord warns that He will reject the lukewarm—those who are neither hot nor cold. The Creator of the universe calls us to forsake our sinful paths and to follow Him: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” in defiance, as stated in Hebrews 3:15. We are summoned to dedicate our lives completely to the One who loves us and sacrificed everything for us.