Unbridled Devotion
By Karen D’Amore
“…acknowledge the God of your Father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind…”
1 Chronicles 28:9b
Wobbly-kneed and quivering, the newborn colt struggles to rise to his feet. Awkwardly unbalanced, his rickety stance emotes a spirit of helplessness. Delighting in his infantile stature, I often peer over the fence of the neighboring horse ranch to monitor his development. Upon discovering his ability to leap and run, he cockily taunts his mother to play along, though he never strays far from her side.
Today, as I neared the horse ranch, the ranch hand was moving the mare and her young colt from the stable to an open pasture. As they passed in front of my vehicle, I watched the worker leading the bridled mare and the unbridled colt across the open roadway. Nervous that the unbridled colt might bolt into oncoming traffic, I was amazed to see him following neck ‘n neck with his mother, his loins never breaking contact with her. In the midst of passing vehicles, free-roaming dogs and onlooking horses, nothing distracted the colt’s attention from his mother. Dependency sealed his relational bond—she is his source of food and life. With unbridled freedom to wander or stray, the colt’s dependency on his mother manifested his unbridled devotion.
Merriam-Webster’s defines devotion as “profound dedication, consecration or earnest attachment.” Touched by this tender and inspiring scenario, I was personally challenged to consider…on whom or what am I dependent…and to whom or what am I devoted?
As Christ-followers, our relationship with Christ is characterized by two primary components: dependence on Him and devotion to Him. Dependency on Christ requires surrender to Him and total reliance on Him. Devotion to Christ means that we live for Him, giving Him full authority over our lives. Christ-centered devotion attaches to nothing and no one except the Lord Himself.
We live in a world endorsing independence, self-reliance and self-absorption. We battle a litany of “false gods” vying for our attention and devotion. Jesus calls to us, “Follow Me.” Unbridled, He gives us free will to choose the object of our devotion. Let us see our Lord through the eyes of the mother-dependent colt. Let us acknowledge Him as our Source of Life and follow Him with unbridled devotion.
GOING DEEPER:
1. On whom or what are you dependent? What steps must you take to rely solely on the Lord?
2. Whom or what is standing in the way of your devotion to Jesus? What do you plan to do about that?
FURTHER READING:
Matthew 6:24-26; Psalm 86:11
Karen is married to Dan and is a retired police officer who is currently a Nail Technician at Craig Berns Salon. She is the administrator for Oakwood’s Tuesday a.m. Bible Study and a volunteer at the Wildlife In Need Center.
