31 and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the present form of this world is passing away. 32 But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; 33 but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord. I Corinthians 7:31-35

Though we may all read the same Bible and believe in the Lord, each of us has a different level of understanding and commitment to following its guidance. While the unchosen are focused only on succeeding in this world, the chosen try to follow this guidance from the Lord in their daily lives in varying degrees. Some choose to follow the Lord only when they go to church on Sundays but follow the world during the week. However, true believers do not divide their hearts but are guided by the Bible and inspired by the Holy Spirit in every moment of their lives. 

Consequently, we can see two types of believers. Which are you? One follows the Lord completely. While the other is focused on their own desires and the world on the inside, though it looks on the surface as if they are leading a faithful life. Because they follow their own purpose in their worldly lives and serve God on their own schedule, they deceive themselves and fail in building their salvation. The all-powerful God sees through it and will not accept their superficial faith. The Lord sacrificed so much for our salvation. We must in return devote all our minds, hearts, and actions to serving Him. God will not accept those who are not completely devoted to him and only serve him with a leftover faith. Psalm 73 refers to a believer who lives in their own way only to realize when they die that they face destruction when it is too late. 

In this passage, we are presented with the difference in faith between the married and unmarried as an example of how our faith can become divided. Before marriage, the man and woman are devoted to God, but, after being married, their hearts become divided when they are immersed into the worldly concerns of raising a family and living their lives. Later, the passage tells us that being alone and faithful is the ideal position to have an undivided faith. Paul lived this way and was completely devoted. But even when one chooses to be alone, their hearts can be divided away from the Lord by other cares and concerns they face. This can be a more pitiful situation.

More than being married or single, the key message here is that we must not be distracted from our priority of serving God by the challenges we face in our daily lives. If we raise our children and our priority is to nurture their salvation, we build our faith. Therefore, whether you marry or choose to live alone, the important challenge to overcome is not to divide your heart between the world and the Lord. We all know the passage where two are sleeping in one bed, and one is saved and the other, not. On the surface, they live the same lives, but it is the one who follows God’s purpose in everything they do and does not divide their heart that is saved. Look deep inside your heart. We must not fool ourselves and believe we are living faithfully when we are not. 

Does this mean we ignore the world and isolate ourselves from it? Of course not! We must diligently live our lives which God has set before us. Our focus as we live must be to ensure that God is the driving force in our hearts. We cannot make the mistake of letting our worldly ambitions take priority over our dedication to God. If we pursue studies or work, we do so because God has put us to this purpose, we must be diligent in our efforts, and we must not betray God’s commandments in our pursuit. When we find our pursuit causes us to sin, then we know our hearts have been divided. We must repent as soon as we realize we have wandered. 

We must seek to make God proud in our obedience, to glorify Him in our actions, and to spread his grace to others through our example. We must not deceive ourselves. God sees what is in our hearts. Give all your hearts, mind, effort, and purpose to following God. None of the hard work we do to live, eat, and provide for ourselves and our loved ones is worth anything unless we do it with an undivided heart.

Devote completely to God. Do not offer Him what is left over after we have taken care of all our own desires and wants. If God directs, do it and nothing else. When we divide our hearts, God departs from us, and we fail in building our salvation. 

Click for Korean sermon https://soundcloud.com/yhpaik/1987-3-20-geumji-1