READ: PSALM 86:11-13; LUKE 9:20-25; 1 JOHN 2:15-17

Sometimes life feels

Like an unending race

And I’m being tugged

So many places

You say You want

All that I am

My head and my heart

My dreams and my plans

But friends, fun, and fortune

Demand my attention

I’m pulled two ways

In a terrible tension

I want to follow You

And I want the world too

I can’t have both

Oh, what do I do?

I know Your way is best

But it’s hard to let go

I remind myself You’re all I need

You love me more than I know

So here I am

God, help me get started

I want to live for You

Undivided, wholehearted • Faith Lewis

• Do you ever feel tugged in many directions at once? Sometimes, we know what we should do, but we don’t really want to. In these moments, it’s easy to think it would be no big deal to give in just a little. But remember, we can trust that Jesus’s way is best, even if it’s hard in the moment, because Jesus has proved that He loves and cares about us. He gave up everything for us first, becoming human and living among us, ultimately dying on the cross, all so that we could be forgiven and saved from sin and live with Him forever. So now, we can rely on His Holy Spirit, His Word (the Bible), and His people (the church) to help us discern right from wrong—and do what’s right. It’s not wrong to desire things like friends and fun—in fact, that’s part of how God created us! Yet so often we end up idolizing created things rather than worshiping our Creator. Even after we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we’ll continue to discover idolatry in different areas of our lives until Jesus returns. Thankfully, Jesus is always ready to forgive and help us. And even as we live in the tension of wanting to follow God, but also realizing we want to sin, we can be totally honest with Him about our hesitations and struggles. As we confess our sins to Him, we can rest in Jesus and have confidence in Him. Consider taking some time to talk to Him now.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 (NIV