Divided Interests

I Cor. 7:32-34
I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided.

What to do about divided interests? Paul advocated singleness wherever and whenever possible not to add regulations, but to free them up for God. In v. 35 Paul says, I say this for your own benefit, not to lay restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. Is it possible to have undivided devotion to the Lord and be married and have a family? Certainly the demands are much greater as well as the time commitments, but how does the devotion to the Lord fit into the equation? Shouldn't it be possible? This passage makes me so very aware of the spiritual problems inherent within marriage and family. I know so many times I have been frustrated because there seemed to be so little time for God, and so many young mothers have talked to me about the little amount of time that they had for God. I think that since God's will and purpose for many of us included marriage and family, then we need to rely on I Cor. 10:31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do (take care of husband, family, laundry, food preparation, and house) do all to the glory of God. Even the most menial task can be done for the glory of God. Where He has called and planted is where the heart needs to seek to find Him and glorify Him. The problem is that we often get consumed with those menial details, so instead we need to be on the offensive for God, to guard our time with Him just like we would guard our children. We would never neglect them, but yet we would neglect our time with God. We need to pray, seek God, be in His Word and glorify Him as our first priority exactly where He has put us!

Father,
Help me to be faithful to you standing firm in the faith. Show me how to keep You my first priority.
In Jesus name,
Amen