There is a difference between hastily eating a meal just for functionality, to satisfy hunger, and savoring a well-prepared meal. In the former, you eat dutifully because you stand to face the unmerciful hands of hunger if you don’t; in the latter, you linger in joy, savoring every flavor.

Likewise, many of us approach our devotion, worship, and prayer to God dutifully and with hurried obligation whereas, our devotion ought to be our greatest delight and not merely duty.

Yesterday, we discussed how a cold altar is abnormal in the life of a believer and learned that it is not the plan of God for us.

Today, we explore how to transition from seeing our devotion to God as a duty to experiencing it as our greatest delight.

One of the principles of Bible study says that; to understand the origin, plan and purpose of a thing you must first go back to how it was in the beginning.

Genesis 1:26
New King James Version

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

In this text, we see the nature of man at creation. God had created lower animals and scriptures did not say He created them in His image, that was only said of man. This helps us understand the relationship between man and His creator.

In the beginning, God created humanity to be in perfect communion with Himself. The Garden of Eden was a controlled environment that signifies where the presence of God was, a place of intimacy, where Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. Their relationship with God was one of effortless obedience, worship, and consecration. Devotion was not duty, but a natural response to God’s presence.

In Genesis 3, man fell and the fall of humanity resulted in separation from God. However, even amid rebellion, God’s desire for intimacy with His people remained unchanged. Throughout the Old Testament, we see examples of men who demonstrated devotion to God, such as Noah, Abraham, and David. Their devotion was not driven by duty but by total submission, satisfaction, and reverence for God.

Your devotion to God should never feel like a task to be checked off a list but should be a natural response to God’s presence, driven by delight and satisfaction.

Duty in our walk with God is not inherently bad. It’s essential to our growth and maturity as believers. Duty helps us establish habits and routines that foster spiritual discipline and remind us of our responsibilities and commitments to God amongst other things seeking our attention in the world. However, when duty becomes the sole driving force behind our devotion to God, it can lead to burnout, and a sense of obligation rather than delight in our worship.

As the Apostle Paul wrote in;

Philippians 1:25
New King James Version

25 And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith,”

‭Many times this text is read, the focus and emphasis aren’t only on “progress in the faith” but there’s also “Joy”. Apostle Paul speaking to the church in Philippi, tells us through this text that a believer’s growth and progress in faith should be accompanied by joy and delight.

Delight is the spark that ignites your passion for God. It’s the joy that comes from knowing and experiencing God and it drives you to spend time with Him, to seek Him, and to worship Him forever.

David says in

Psalm 122:1
New King James Version

1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.

‭‭This is a king and his response to appearing before God is gladness! This is not a duty-driven response, but a delight-driven one. He’s not worshiping God because he has to, but because he discerns His greatness and is glad to worship Him.

Does your heart bask in adoration when in the presence of God? Are you ever in awe anytime you think of His presence in you and all He has done that your immediate response is total worship?

Are you satisfied and happy just being in the place of worship and reverence for God?

You must recognize that delight should be the perpetual state of your heart and purpose in your heart from today, to move from a place of duty to a place of delight in your devotion to God.

Prayer Point:
Lord, I delight in you. My satisfaction comes from you alone. I worship and serve you not from a place of duty or routine but from a glad and delightful heart. My devotion to you comes with joy.