Mark of Devotion

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon my arm. For love is as strng as death and jealousy as cruel as the grave. Song of Songs 8:6This was the shulamites response to her husband. A desire to be His without any outside intrusion, without distraction. That she would be sealed upon him and that He would be sealed upon her.

Often I think about just tattooing the mess out of my body. I see myself and my weaknesses and I wretch inside with my remorse. I think that if I were to ink His Word all over my body my problems would be rectified and I would remember God's statutes. I just want my flesh to obey. I want no half standards and no half promises within me because half standards and half promises do not lead to devotion but to half commitments and to whole compromises. No amount of scriptures inked upon my skin could ever change my mindset. Yet if I were to tattoo His LIVING Word on my heart, He has promised to change me from the inside out. Instead of having the change become soley an outside manifestation it would become a fire engulfing me from the depths of my spirit molding and transforming me into a blaze which can never be extinguished by any force, power or principality.

The reason I thought of this verse is that often our desires never match the shulamite bride's mark of devotion. We find oursleves making whole compromises and half commitments. We either become discouraged by our impedence or we become distracted by this worlds vanities. In essence we loose our passion for God, for Christ and for His Spirit. In Revelation 2:4, John has a revelation of Christ in which Christ declares to the church that "Never the less, I have this against you. That you have turned away from your first love." We have become swept away by our distractions, no longer seeing God as our true Beloved.

Our worship becomes warped, our devotion is forgotton and our feeble declarations of past love soon fade away.The church has become a whore so opposite in actions that she has paid her clients and receives no compensation for her wicked pleasures {Ezekiel 16:31-34}. We choose to serve death and not life! Where has our devotion gone? Where does our devotion rest if not with the Lover of our souls?

Although we may stumble and fall, failing in the majority of our attempts,God is by our side. He encourages us to not give up on ourselves because He will not. We win if we get up. We win for entering the battle when so few do. We could give up; throw in the towel and say its to hard to be holy. But we will not! We are called to be ambassadors, conquerors, revivalists, the Holy remnant and ministers of the most Holy God! In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God said that if we were to humble our hearts and turn towards Him once more, away from our idolatries, He would redeem us and heal our land. Are we satisfied with our prostituition and our march towards death? Or do you want the spirit of adoption to cover and restore you?

God will sanctify you if you return your devotion to Him. He will return your crown and put the bridal adornments on your body once more. The mercy of Christ is greater than all your sin. The plans of God are bigger than any plans of the enemy. Choose today where your allegiance stands. Choose today to stand before the throne as the righteousness of God!