By Dedication: the devotion of time, effort, or oneself to a particular task or purpose
In the Old Testament times, before Jesus came and died for our sins, anyone wishing to find atonement for their sins had to offer up a sacrifice.
They were instructed to take an animal that was perfect — one of the best ones — and bring it as a sacrifice. They could not offer the one that was bad or undesirable. They were commanded to give the best.
Another instruction found in the Bible that still remains a vital command today is to give ten percent of our earnings back to God.
And although these two commandments seem so different as one is the sacrifice of animals and is no longer necessary, and another is giving money and is still in practice today — I look at them and draw a connection to the word “dedication”.
Dedication is the devotion of time, effort, or oneself to a particular task or purpose. And there are two elements of the commandments previously mentioned that I think are important to dedication.
Those two commandments show me that we are to give God a portion of our time, and we are to give Him our best.
We can’t just dedicate Sunday’s to Him. We cannot dedicate our leftover time to Him. We must give Him a portion of our day, and make it the best.
In all the time we are awake, we have time to dedicate ourselves to our Creator — to the One who provides for us, is there for us, and makes a way for us.
We can find it in us to dedicate ourselves to Him.
So this week, how can you better dedicate yourself to God?
Maddisen Sauls is the smile and voice behind the Everyday Joy blog as well as the author of the Word of the Week posts and the editor of by leaps and bounds. Throughout her life, Maddisen has worked as a reporter for small town newspapers, a School Age and Preschool teacher, and has acquired her ministerial license.
An avid book reader and lover of the written word, Maddisen is passionate about using her favorite medium to reach the lost and the hurting, and to offer encouragement and hope to those struggling through life.
Following her battle with depression, Maddisen has made it her mission to help other people through this journey and to bring joy to the lives of the people around her.
You can find Maddisen on Instagram @maddisen.paige
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