Devotional: Fresh Devotion

The prophet Jeremiah begins a powerful section of his book with a word spoken directly from the mouth of God. The Lord remembers when his people loved, trusted and followed him with heartfelt devotion. This sort of devotion that marks every believer, especially at the beginning of their walk with Jesus, is something that God desires to make permanent in our life. God is seeking fresh devotion to him—devotion that follows him into the wilderness and into unsown lands. These are places where God does a special work in his people. Today, as you think about your relationship with God, does he remember your new bride devotion, or does he currently enjoy it? 

Questions for Meditation 

1. Do you view “devotion” as a checklist item (i.e. “I did my devotions today”)? In reality, devotion is a way of life. What does it look like to be completely devoted to God? 
2. Why is important to recognize God’s hesed love—his covenant and committed love— before trying to refresh our devotion? 
3. Are you in a wilderness season of your life? A place where you feel like you cannot survive for long? What does this text (Jeremiah 2:1-2) tell us about the nature of the wilderness? 
4. Prayer is the church’s conversation with their Heavenly Spouse. What will you be talking with God about this week? 
5. Is there a worldly comfort that the Holy Spirit is trying to wane you from in order to increase your sense of dependence on God? 
6. Why is the wilderness sometimes a necessary place for God to bring his people? What benefits for our relationship with Jesus does the wilderness provide that isn’t offered in the normal hustle and bustle of life?
7. Ask the Spirit for the confidence and trust to follow him into the new lands that he wants to take you this year. What are the unsown lands you sense him leading you to?