Division can be good … or bad. Helpful …
or unhelpful.
Division was one of those math concepts I
enjoyed, along with addition, subtraction, and multiplication. I even enjoyed
pre-algebra, but after that, I lost interest. As a teacher calculating grades, I
still use division. Even the school’s grading program automatically uses
division. When I enter grades for a particular assignment, the system totals
the grades and then divides them by the number of students to calculate the
class average for the assignment.
Sometimes, I don’t enjoy division. Such as
when my wife divides a pie or cake she has cooked—and I only get one of those
pieces. Division helps us to know how many slices to cut, depending on the
number of people who will eat it. The more people, the smaller my piece. On the
other hand, the smaller my piece, the fewer calories I’ll consume. That part of
division works in my favor.
Division can be helpful. My wife and I
have a favorite restaurant in town that we often frequent. They serve a large
hamburger which my wife and I share by dividing. This saves us money, helps us
consume fewer calories, and helps us get the large burger in our mouths.
David prayed for an undivided heart so
that he would fear God’s name. He wanted to reverence Him more each day. He
knew this wouldn’t happen unless his heart was undivided. David desired to
focus on loving and serving his God.
What David prayed for Jesus later reiterated,
but in the opposite way. Jesus said people could not serve two masters. They
would either hate the one and love the other or serve the one and ignore the
others. David prayed for an undivided heart, and Jesus said we couldn’t have a
divided heart—although we might try.
Division is bad when I try to serve God
and other things or other people. The things and relationships might not be bad
or even sinful, but if I put them before God—and if they interfere with my sole
allegiance to Him—then I have divided my heart.
Division is bad when I keep God’s love to
myself instead of sharing it around.
Division is good when God’s people take
the spiritual gifts and talents He gives and divide them among the world, so
the world hears about God’s love, comes to know Him, and in turn, disseminates
His love across the world.
When we pray for an undivided heart, we
experience life as God intended. In the beginning, He walked daily in the
garden with Adam and Eve. He wants that same type of relationship with us.
Follow David’s example. Pray for an
undivided heart.
Prayer: Father, give us an undivided
heart—one that moves us to love and serve You.
Tweetable: Is your heart divided?
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