Extreme Devotion

We all devote our lives to something. It’s just how we were created. The question is, what are we devoted to? This morning at church I learned about the Greek word “Prosechō” and I think it is one we should all become familiar with. It’s the Greek word for devotion. By definition, it is “to apply one's self to, attach one's self to, hold or cleave to a person or a thing. to be given or addicted to. to devote thought and effort to.” Prosechō implies strong, continuous, and persistent action towards something. It is consistently, whole-heartedly going after something – aka devotion.

Devotion In Faith

Our pastor defined this level of devotion as something akin to addiction. In our faith, devotion = addiction to God. That seems a little radical, but let me explain. When you are “addicted” to God, you are not satisfied with having His presence yesterday or last week. You are constantly seeking Him. You recognize you can’t do life without him. Your thoughts revolve around Him and His plan for your life. You want more and more of Him and you do whatever it takes to reach that end.

King David has this kind of devotion to God. In Psalms, David says:

Psalm 34:1 – “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Psalm 25:15 – “My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.”

Psalm 16:8 – “I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”

Psalm 63:1-4 – “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”

To truly be a Christian is to be extreme. Jesus calls us to an extreme whole-hearted devotion to God because he has a whole-hearted extreme devotion to us. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” The call of Christ on our lives is nothing short of complete and total allegiance to Him and His kingdom. Inevitably, this is a life-altering commitment. If you are truly devoted to Christ, your life will completely change in ways you didn’t know possible. When you are addicted to something, it consumes you. You schedule your time around that thing. You wake up and go to bed thinking about it. You spend your money and energy on it. Your whole life revolves around this thing and getting more of it.

Devotion In Endurance

In the same way, endurance sports can certainly be extreme, life-altering, and some might say (i.e. my wife) it looks like an addiction. Depending on your goals, it takes hours of training, often accumulated over months and years. It requires consistency, discipline, and laser focus. You dedication to your mission will create conflicts in your schedule. You will find yourself saying no to things you used to say yes to. Your diet will change. You will invest in things you normally wouldn’t have. You might even start stretching before and after workouts. Your life will change. Why? Well in order to accomplish big goals, you must be devoted to them.

Now, to be clear, I am not advocating for you to become addicted to running marathons or century rides. I’m simply highlighting yet another way endurance training has directly translated to my Christian walk. Devotion, discipline, and “never being satisfied with yesterday” in endurance training has impacted the way I approach my faith and the rest of my life. The gains I have experienced from endurance training have translated to my faith, relationships, and career.

Devotion Tips

As Christian athletes, if we are fully devoted to Christ and our craft, our lives should reflect it. This may seem overwhelming, but here are some tips to maximize physical and spiritual devotion in your life.

Schedule your mornings: Wake up early, commit to studying scripture, praying, and meditating as the first thing you do. Then go knock out your scheduled training sessions before other responsibilities distract you.

Prioritize rest: Developing a consistent routine when it comes to sleep is key to not only recovering from your training, but to also have energy for your quiet time, relationships and career.

Learn to say no: This is the hardest thing for me to do. I want to be a part of everything and can easily suffer FOMO. But learning to say no to some things will keep you on track with your mission and goals.

So, what are you devoted to?

If you want to grow your faith and take on big challenges, reach out to us! This is why Kingdom Endurance was started. To build a community of athletes who are committed to growing in faith and endurance. Join the team!