Devoted Discipleship: Our Devotion

Patrice Grant
1 day ago
4 min read

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

~ Mark 12:30 (NIV)

Is there a correlation between the depth of our love for God and the depth of our devotion to God? I am reminded of the story in the Bible from Luke chapter 7 that speaks of a sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet:

“As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.” (Luke 7:38 NIV)

Can you imagine the love she felt for Jesus as demonstrated in her actions? Jesus goes on in that chapter to explain, when you have been forgiven of much, you love deeply. As disciples of Jesus, it is important that we take self-inventory of our love for the Lord.

The more we spend time with Him, the more we get to know Him. And the more we know Him, the deeper our love for Him grows. And the deeper we love Him, the more devoted we become to Him as followers of Christ.

Continuing in our series, Devoted Discipleship, this month’s blog is centered around, “Our Devotion.” The word devotion has two common meanings. One refers to the act of prayer or private worship (Merriam-Webster). The other deals with our dedication to the Lord. I like to think of this as a “holy zeal” we demonstrate in our personal relationship with Jesus.

Mark 12:30 (NIV) says this, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” What better way to depict a devoted love for God? This kind of holistic approach is the mark of true discipleship.

Yet, when we get brutally honest with ourselves and God, we must admit our shortcomings in loving God in this manner. In fact, sometimes we struggle to love God with our whole heart because our heart is divided. Our soul can be selfish. Our mind is often carnal. Our strength is inappropriately given to other people or things of lesser value.

If we will genuinely commit to being a devoted disciple, then I would like to offer us two areas to consider as we live out our devotion to our Lord.

Surrender. True devotion begins with surrender. We must be willing to surrender our desires, our opinions, our plans - our very life in order to be a devoted disciple of Jesus. Surrender is not us telling us God what we are willing to part with. It is us parting with whatever God tells us to let go. When we understand the heart of God, we can trust that He is never withholding His best from us. Rather He is always positioning us to be in a posture to receive it.

Separation. Deep devotion to God involves separation from sin and worldliness. Scripture teaches us that no man can serve two masters. We cannot love God and be worldly at the same time - how does that work? It does not work for one desiring to live as a devoted disciple. Separation may feel lonely at times, and even unpopular within our culture. Nevertheless, it is necessary in order to preserve our devotion to Jesus.

Devotion reveals dedication. Dedication to living for God, God’s way. Let us attend our ears to hear the gentle invitation of our Lord inviting us to draw near to Him and obediently follow after Him. May we endeavor to be the kinds of disciples whose devotion never wanes over time, compromises under pressure, or diminishes under persecution.

A Final Note: If you are not already in the loop, be sure to sign up for my weekend inspirational emails called, “Sweet Saturdays” where each new blog post will be shared along with other encouragement to fuel your faith as a devoted disciple of Jesus. You can do this by visiting my website: lacelegacy.org

About Patrice

Patrice Grant is a minister, author, speaker, and worship leader devoted to guiding women to the transforming grace of God through the truth of Scripture. Passionate about helping women live authentically and pursue God passionately, she encourages women to cultivate a daily rhythm of devotion anchored in spiritual disciplines.

Called to champion women in their identity and purpose, Patrice exhorts believers to remember that their worth is defined in Christ—not culture. With a Master of Divinity degree, she teaches with clarity, conviction, and compassion, equipping women to follow Jesus wholeheartedly as true disciples.

A gifted writer and communicator, Patrice shares messages that strengthen the faith of women and inspire deeper intimacy with God. She is the author of Warrior Slay, a devotional on the power of worship and prayer; Living My Best Life, a Bible study for single women; and Be Still My Soul, which invites readers into the spiritual disciplines of silence, solitude, and daily prayer journaling.

Patrice is also the founder of L.A.C.E. Legacy, a ministry created to empower Christian women to live as Ladies Anchored in Christian Excellence—embracing and embodying the legacy of faith they carry.

You can connect with Patrice through her website, Warrior Woman Blog; her Facebook community, Warrior Women; on Instagram and Facebook at @patriceburrellgrant; and on YouTube at L.A.C.E. Legacy with Patrice (@lacelegacy).