Session 21

What are you going to chase today?

From 1 Corinthians: A 35-Day Devotional

When we get married, we say yes to fully giving our lives to our spouses. There is no going back to our old life. We can’t have one foot in being single and the other foot in being married. We can’t give half of our heart when our spouses are giving all of theirs to us. For the relationship to work, we have to give up our old way of living and devote ourselves to our spouses.

The same is true of our relationship with Jesus. When we give our lives to Jesus, He doesn't become part of our life, He is our life. That's the message the apostle Paul sends to the church in Corinth. They were eating and drinking the Lord's Supper, then continuing to offer sacrifices or eat at pagan temples. Instead of committing to following Jesus, church members were keeping their options open by continuing to worship at the pagan temple. Paul urges them to stop straddling the fence.

We either give Jesus everything or nothing. There is no in between. 

We either give Jesus everything or nothing. There is no in between. Jesus Himself said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24).

We can't chase sin and pursue Jesus at the same time. To pursue one, we must turn our backs on the other. It's a daily struggle. Every morning when our feet hit the ground, we have a choice to make: Am I going to chase after sin today or am I going to pursue Jesus?

Jesus laid down His life for us. He didn't hold anything back from us. Let’s not hold anything back from Him.

Reflect:

• Are you trying to follow Jesus with half of your heart in your old life?
• What is one thing you need to let go of to live fully devoted to Jesus? What step can you take today to let it go?