“I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.” 1 Cor 7:35 (NIV)
In Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, he emphasizes the relationship that stands above all other relationships. Paul does not demean the value of marriage or the virtue of singleness, but he elevates the relationship that is primary for every believer. The one relationship that is supreme and deserves our utmost devotion is our love relationship with Jesus.
Think about the tugs on your life and the relationships connected to those tugs. After a while, you come to realize that there is not enough of you to satisfy every tug on your life. As Andy Stanley says in his book, Choosing to Cheat, “Someone in your life is going to feel cheated.” Who will you cheat? Often we choose to cheat the Lord by diluting our devotion to Him. We know that His love is unconditional and that He will receive us back. As a result, we may drift from our first love and soon be walking at a guilty distance instead of maintaining intimacy with the Lord.
- “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” Psalm 86:11 (NIV)
- “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” Jeremiah 24:7 (NIV)
What adjustments do you need to make in your allocation of time and energy in order to have an undivided heart? What is keeping you from giving Jesus first place in your life? Identify those things that have divided your devotion and confess them to the Lord. Lordship and loyalty go together!
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell