Today’s 333 Devotional: “Divided Loyalties”

If Satan has half, then he has it all, because the Lord will have half of nothing. With the Lord it’s either all or nothing.

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24a)

For those who would divide their affections between God and the world, they will ultimately fall short of God. The Apostle Paul said, “What fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14b)

When we divide our loyalty to God with anything else, then the reality is that we really don’t love God as we’re supposed to in the Great Commandment. In his first letter, the Apostle John said, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15)

We see how God views divided loyalty and the outcome in the Old Testament.

The Lord said that He would stretch out His hand against “those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Molech, those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him.” (Zephaniah 1:5b-6)

Those who say they worship the Lord, but still serve the gods of this world, neither worship nor follow God or His word (2 Kings 17:33-34).

The Apostle James talks about the consequences saying, “Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” (James 1:8)

We see this same thing in the church of Laodicea when they counted on their wealth instead of the Lord. Jesus called them lukewarm, and because they were neither hot nor cold that He was going to vomit them out of His mouth (Revelation 3:15-17).

 So, let’s love the Lord sincerely and in all truth.

“Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.” (Ephesians 6:24)