Welcome to day two of our journey through consecration. Yesterday, we talked about being sold out to God—how devotion is at the center of our existence.
Today, we need to go deeper. We need to understand WHY we devote ourselves.

We’re still very fresh into the new year and I’m sure you have New Year’s resolutions about having a consistent devotion. But I would like you to take a moment to ponder the reason why you want this.

Is it because you view these activities as religious duties you must check off your list each day or because you know that at the centre of your existence is your devotion to God and everything within you was made to reverence Him?

Here’s the truth: when you understand why you devote yourself, everything changes. Your quiet time stops feeling like an obligation and becomes a privilege. Your prayer life stops feeling like work and becomes communion. And the light within you, the light of Christ, shines brighter because it’s fueled by genuine love, not religious duty.

So why should we devote ourselves?
One of the reasons why we devote ourselves is because of who God is.
In Scriptures, we see the numerous attributes of God, His Holiness, mercy, compassion, faithfulness and love. Let’s look at a few verses in scripture.

Leviticus 11:44
New King James Version
44 For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Here, we see God tell the children of Israel, that He is Holy.

Exodus 34:6
New King James Version
6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.’

In Exodus 34:6, you can also see that God is merciful, gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.

1 John 4:8 
New King James Version
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

And here, we see that God is love.
Our response to all these attributes of God (His Holiness, mercy, graciousness, love, faithfulness and compassion) should be devotion and worship.

Devotion should be our response to the character of God. When you truly grasp who God is, not just intellectually but in your heart, you can’t help but draw near to Him. And as you draw near, the light of His presence transforms you from the inside out.

We see it in the actions of the 24 elders before the throne of God in the book of Revelation.
The 24 elders are before God and all they can do is worship Him. When they consider the nature of God, His Holiness and how great He is, they cast their crowns and bow their hearts.

In verse 11, we see that all that God created (including man) was created for His pleasure and so at the root of all of creation and humanity is obedience and worship. Man was made to worship God and be devoted to Him. Devotion to God is at the centre of mankind.

And here’s what happens when you live in this devotion: you reflect His character. You become light in a dark world because you’re constantly in the presence of the Light Himself. The more time you spend with God, the more you shine with His glory.

Another reason why we devote ourselves to God is because of all He has done for us in Christ.
Titus 3:4-6
New King James Version
4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,

5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Think about what this means: You were walking in darkness. Separated from God. Dead in your sins. And then Jesus came. He took your sin. He gave you His righteousness. He pulled you out of the kingdom of darkness and brought you into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). That’s not just theology. That’s your story. That’s what happened to you the moment you believed.

A consistent devotion should be our response to all that God has done for us in our salvation and redemption. It is our response to the love we received from God.

We devote ourselves because of everything God has done for us. At salvation, we received the life of Christ and so now we must give this life back to God in consecration and devotion.
Devotion is not about earning what you already have. You already have God’s favor through Christ. You already have His love. You already have His acceptance. Devotion is simply saying, “God, because of what You’ve done for me, I give You everything. My time. My heart. My life. All of it.”

And when you devote yourself from this place of gratitude rather than guilt, something powerful happens. Your light doesn’t flicker. It burns steady and bright because it’s fueled by love, not legalism.

Another reason why we devote ourselves is to strengthen our relationship with God. When we devote ourselves to God, our relationship with Him becomes stronger and deeper and we also begin to become more like Jesus.

In 2 Corinthians 3:18, we see that there is a transformation that occurs.
2 Corinthians 3:18
New King James Version
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Read that again. When you behold the glory of the Lord, when you spend time in His presence, when you devote yourself to Him, you are being transformed. Not by your own effort. Not by trying harder. But by beholding. By staying close to the Light, you become more like the Light.

When you spend more time with God in devotion, you will also get to know His plans and purpose for you and you will be right at the centre of God’s plan for your life. This is how you walk as light in this world: by staying so close to God that His will becomes clear, His voice becomes recognizable, and His purposes become your passion.

The good thing about all these is that devotion can be easy for you because you have the Holy Spirit in you.

There is a new mechanism at work in you that makes you able to respond to the things of God. You can now consider who God is and all that He has done for you and your heart be entreated to worship. You have a heart of flesh that can respond to God, take advantage of it and let your heart be stirred to a vibrant devotion.

This is why you can shine as light this year. Because the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in you. The same Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation dwells in you. You’re not trying to manufacture devotion in your own strength. You’re simply yielding to the Spirit already within you, and He produces devotion, worship, and consecration as you surrender.

Remember, devotion is not about striving to earn God’s favor because you already have that in Christ. Devotion is simply our response to the character of God, His grace towards us and a way of walking closely with the One who can lead us.

So as you walk through this Year of Light, let your devotion flow from the right place. Not from duty, but from love. Not from fear, but from gratitude. Not from trying to be good enough, but from knowing you’re already loved. When your devotion is rooted in who God is and what He’s done, your light will shine effortlessly. You won’t have to force it. It will flow naturally from a heart that’s captivated by the One who is Light.

Prayer Point
Father, help me to have a consistent devotion. When I consider who You are and all You’ve done for me, let my heart respond in worship. As I devote myself to You, I become more like You and I am better aligned to Your will. Let my devotion fuel the light within me, that I may shine brightly for Your glory in this Year of Light.