Four Invitations
READ
Let's pause and look back at where we've been this week. Four phrases. Four invitations into a devoted way of life:
Let’s take a moment to read Romans 12:9-10:
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
REFLECT
These aren't just nice ideas or inspirational quotes to stick on your fridge. They're a vision for how we live—not occasionally, not when we feel like it, but as a way of life. Devotion, Paul is saying, shows up in how we love. And love isn't just a feeling. It's a choice we make with our whole selves.
Think about that phrase: whole selves. It means we don't get to compartmentalize. We can't bring our heart to God but leave our mind behind. We can't offer our actions but hold back our emotions. We can't show up on Sunday but check out the rest of the week. Devotion requires all of us—heart, mind, body, and will—showing up, engaged, present, over time.
So here's the question for today: Which part of yourself feels the hardest to bring to God and others right now?
Maybe it's your heart. Maybe you've been hurt or disappointed, and it feels safer to keep some walls up, to protect yourself from feeling too much. Maybe genuine love feels risky because you're afraid of being vulnerable again.
Maybe it's your mind. Maybe you have doubts or questions you're afraid to voice. Maybe you think devotion means having it all figured out, so you keep your uncertainties hidden. Maybe you're so busy that your mind is scattered in a thousand directions, and you can't seem to focus on what actually matters.
Maybe it's your body. Maybe you're exhausted—physically, emotionally, spiritually. Maybe you've been running on empty for so long that the idea of showing up fully feels impossible. Maybe you've learned to push through and perform even when you're depleted, and you're not sure what it would look like to honor your limits.
Maybe it's your will. Maybe you know what you should do, but you don't want to. Maybe you're tired of trying to be good, tired of the effort it takes to love people who don't love you back, tired of holding fast when it would be easier to just let go.
Wherever you are, whatever part of you feels the hardest to bring—that's where devotion begins. Not with perfection. Not with having it all together. But with honesty. With showing up as you actually are and trusting that God can work with that.
Because here's the thing: devotion isn't about you being enough on your own. It's about bringing your whole self—including the parts that are tired, uncertain, guarded, or resistant—and letting God's love meet you there. It's about letting genuine love, mutual affection, and the steady practice of honoring others gradually reshape you into someone who can live this way not out of obligation, but out of love.
You don't have to do this alone. Your formation is connected to the people around you. We're learning this together. We're becoming devoted together. Your whole self—just as you are right now—belongs here.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
Which part of yourself (heart, mind, body, will) feels hardest to bring fully to God and others right now?
What would it look like to bring that part honestly to God today, without pretending it's something it's not?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
God, I'm bringing all of me to You today—the parts that are strong and the parts that are struggling. I don't have it all together, and I'm learning that's okay. Help me to be honest, to be present, to show up fully even when it's hard. Teach me what devotion looks like in my actual life, not just in theory. And thank You that I don't have to figure this out alone. Amen.