Today’s Bible reading is 1 Chronicles 21 and 1 Corinthians 7.
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. (1 Cor 7:35)
Today. A new day. Full of possibilities, responsibilities, deadlines, and distractions. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul explores how our day-to-day obligations and relationships impact our lives as disciples of Jesus. Get married, for example, and your “interests” should naturally “divide” as you give attention to “pleasing” your spouse (1 Cor 7:33-34).
But that leads us to a simple principle worth thinking about today: I have a limited amount of “interest.” So do you. Think of this “interest” as a combination of opportunity, attention, and energy. Every obligation divides that interest. Jobs or school and sleep claim a significant portion of that interest. Marriage and children divide that interest. Every appointment, hobby, entertainment choice, and distraction further divides that interest. Every commitment, every “yes,” all the way down to every interaction with my smartphone debits my limited amount of “interest.”
Here’s the key: while “interests” get naturally divided by daily circumstances and evolving seasons of life, one thing should remain “undivided”–my devotion to the Lord. Above and beyond being single or married, widowed or remarried, a student, employee, or employer, I am the Lord’s. “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Cor 6:19-20).
That’s worth remembering today. A new day. Full of possibilities, responsibilities, deadlines, and distractions. My attention, energy, and opportunities will naturally get divided in different directions throughout the day. But one reality should shape and govern it all: I am the Lord’s. My devotion to him shouldn’t be divided.