1 Corinthians 7:32-35 (ESV)
32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
In this passage about marriage and singleness, one particular phrase stands out to me..."to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord." I began wondering how often my devotion is divided. I try to be totally surrendered to the Lord and make Him the priority He should be, but I admit, often I am tempted to please others like this passage suggests. It isn't just our spouses that can cause us to choose to divide our devotion. Many people or even things can prompt divided devotion. It's important here to notice that Paul said he wasn't trying to lay restraint upon them. In other words, he wasn't making a rule or a law, but he wanted them to be free from anxieties. Think about it...when we let other people or things come between us and the Lord or cause us to only be partly devoted to our Lord, we bring anxiety on ourselves. For example, if I spend too much time watching TV and not enough time preparing to lead my small group Bible study, I have divided my devotion. Or if I make exercise my priority instead of preparing dinner for my family, I have divided my devotion. God intends for me to make my small group and my family a priority because He has given those responsibilities to me. In the same way, I have to be careful not to spend so much time on dinner or my small group that I forgo my personal time with the Lord. The attention we give to things and to others in our lives needs to be a reflection of our first being wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord. Let's take time today to regroup and make sure our hearts haven't become divided.
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