For me, devotion is often allied to faithfulness and perseverance. I see it in the Mum who gets up yet again in the night to deal with a crying child, even though she is beyond weary herself. I see it in the Dad who goes out to work in all weathers to provide for his family. I see devotion in the many small acts of kindness which strengthen relationships: the gift of a bunch of flowers as a ‘get well’ present or the gift of a box of chocolates to someone who has been struggling recently.
Christmas is often associated with gifts, and it can be difficult to feel enthusiasm for buying gifts when you have struggled with shopping bags on a busy day or are finding it hard to make ends meet. Jesus spoke about the greatest commandments being to love God with all we have and are and to love others as much as we love ourselves. Faithful love and devotion matter a lot. We see this in Simeon and Anna, servants of God who were privileged to meet with Jesus soon after His birth. Their faithfulness and devotion to God meant they were in the right place at the right time to see God’s Messiah. (Luke 2:22-40) God is no man’s debtor; He meets with us every time we show Him devotion and is there to bless us.
