Francis Arihilam
I woke up that morning and did the “Usual.” Just as I stepped out, I began to question, “Why did I wake up so early and see it as a must to do the usual? Could it be that I do it as an obligation to God?”
I didn’t really know that I had done devotions in the mornings just to prove to God that I was His child.
Hmm. “What is wrong with that?” someone will ask.
But look at it this way;
Our faith has stereotyped us in one direction even though they claim we are at liberty to relate with God.
We have been made to believe that our devotions in the early hours of the morning are the authentic ones. Any other outside that, it isn’t the real deal.
Devotion requires commitment and focus to a reasonable level and this can be done at noon.
why?
If that is the time you can gain maximum concentration it’s fine by God.
What He actually needs, is your attention at all times, not necessarily for a particular period in the day.
You might need to shut all activities in a particular time frame within the day to commune with the Maker to better foster the relationship, but there is no stamped time.
Of what use is a devotion when it is rushed?
Moreover, the word “Devotion” connotes commitment with rapt attention. It involves a lot of meditation and focus.
Are morning devotions bad? Absolutely not.
However, make sure that in your subconscious mind, it is not done because you seek a kind of unstated approval from the preacher who will ask in bible study, “Who did their devotion this morning?”
Do you need to prove to God that you love him by religiously committing to your early hour routine?
Yes and No.
God will know if you love him or not.
He is omniscient, remember? And that means that He knows where your true loyalty abides.
Our attempt to prove to him is a resultant effect of how our assembly have juxtaposed things.
For instance, the church has taught that prayer is a communication, but have assumed that we are not praying when our lips are not in motion.
We have been patterned to always do our best to impress God, which is a good thing.
But we have not been taught to establish a relationship with the creator based on our individualities.
An idea of a bossy God has been served to us without any room for feedbacks.
Resulting to us serving, not because we love, but because we are obligated to, haven been defeated with emotional demand.
