Words of Worship: Devotion

devotion (noun) - belief and trust in and loyalty to God

Synonyms: faith, piety, religion

Antonyms: atheism, godlessness

I think most people can hear the word "devotion" and immediately associate it with a book or verse or reading passage that is meant to get us into reading the Bible, but in reality it is so much more than that. For followers of Christ, our devotion is directly tied in to our dedication, trust, and faith in the Lord. God is devoted to us, as well - He sent His Son to die for our sins when we were nothing but a hot mess, and has faithfully kept every promise He has uttered since the beginning of time. So this week, we're going to explore themes of devotion in musical worship. There's two groups that are going to be highlighted this week so it's not as much of a mix as usual, but each of these songs are really great and worth listening to. Let's jump on in! All Scripture references are taken from the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible.

Promises Never Fail by Bethel Music & Emmy Rose (written by B. Fielding, B. Johnson, J. Ingram, J. Taylor)

This song has become a favorite of mine over the past few years. Included on Bethel's 2019 live album Victory and featuring vocals from worship leader Emmy Rose, the reminders in this song of God's faithfulness and devotion to His children are very uplifting and hopeful.

Healing and freedom as You speak favor over me/Faith is breaking all impossibility/Your name has overcome, Your name alone/For I know Your thoughts, Your plans for me are good/I know You hold my future and my hope/Your promises never fail, Your promises never fail/Your promises never fail, Your promises never fail

Joshua 23:14 Soon I will die, going the way of everything on earth. Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed!

Jesus, We Love You by Bethel Music & Paul McClure (written by H. McClure, P. McClure, K. Heiligenthal)

This is a little bit older of a song from Bethel at this point, but I've only become familiar with it in the last few months and I really, really love it. Included on Bethel's 2015 live album We Will Not Be Shaken and featuring vocals from worship leader Paul McClure, the reminders throughout the lyrics that God is a constant presence and force in our lives is so comforting and uplifting.

Old things have passed away, Your love has stayed the same/Your constant grace remains the cornerstone/Things that we thought were dead are breathing in life again/You cause your Son to shine on darkest nights/For all that You’ve done, we will pour out our love/This will be our anthem song/Jesus, we love You/Oh, how we love You/You are the one our/Our hearts adore

Philippians 3:8-9 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the inifinite value of King Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

Engraved by Mosaic MSC (written by M. McManus, C. Dennard, B. Odom, K. McManus)

This simple song may seem really repetitive, but it's also so powerful and beautiful. Included on Mosaic's 2018 EP Heaven and featuring vocals from worship leader LJ Benet, this song reminds us that God's promises are eternal just as He is eternal, which is a crazy concept for a human mind to wrap itself around but it's so wonderful that it's true.

His majesty reigns, His promises echo eternity’s claim/We praise Him with promise engraved/My Savior has written my name, we praise Him/His majesty reigns, His promises echo eternity’s claim/We praise Him with promise engraved/My Savior has written my name, we praise Him

Romans 8:28-29 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

Eyes On You by Mosaic MSC (written by L. Sweat, M. McManus, R. Jackson)

Another lyrically simple song from Mosaic, but definitely one of my all time favorites from them. Included on their 2018 EP Heaven and featuring vocals from worship leader Mariah Goss, this song reminds us that all we have to do is keep our eyes on Jesus as we walk through this life and He will not steer us wrong.

All I want is You/All I see is You/All I have, I bring to You/‘Cause all I want is You/And nothing compares, nothing comes close to you/No one can know the depths of my soul like You/And nothing compares, nothing comes close to You/No one can know the depths of my soul like You

Hebrews 12:2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Glory & Wonder by Mosaic MSC (written by C. Franz, M. McManus, K. Waters)

This song, along with most of the rest of its album, can settle my anxious heart like not much else can. The title track of Mosaic's 2016 live album Glory & Wonder features vocals by worship leader Mariah Goss and is a beautiful, calming reminder of how much Jesus loves us and that we are called to be like Him.

Jesus, light of heaven, lover of the lost/Jesus, perfect love, You meet us where we are/You came to us to show the love of God/You came to us, no matter what the cost/Jesus, light of heaven, lead us to Your heart/Jesus, greatest love, You take us as we are/You come to us when all our strength is gone/You come to us, with You, we overcome/Take this heart and show it how to beat/All You are is who I wanna be/I give You my love completely

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.

Never Stop by Mosaic MSC (written by M. McManus)

This is another of my all-time faves out of Mosaic without a shadow of a doubt. Included on Mosaic's 2016 live album Glory & Wonder and featuring vocals from worship leader Mariah Goss, this song is a joyful reminder of how wonderful life is when we set our eyes on Him and Him alone.

I don’t know where I’m going/But I know that I’m chasing after you/And in every moment/You are the one that I look to/I will never stop loving You, oh/I will never stop loving You, oh/Never found a love so true/I will never stop loving You, oh/I will never stop loving You, oh/I will never stop loving You, oh/Never found a love so true/I will never stop loving You

Exodus 20:3 You must not have any other god but me.

Steady by Mosaic MSC (written by C. Pimentel, M. Goss, B. Figueroa, S. Teran)

This may be our final entry this week from Mosaic, but it's by no means any less powerful than the others. Featured on their 2020 live album HUMAN, it's another reminder of how God will never fail or abandon us no matter what.

You are constant in the way that You forgive me/Steady as the moon that shifts the tide/Consistent in the way that You believe in me/True in how You choose me every time/In the end, I will stand with You/To the end, devoted to You/To the end, I will sing to You/To the end

Titus 2:14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

I hope you found some wonderful new music to meditate on as you go about your week. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!