Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double–minded. (James 4:8, ESV)
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4, ESV)
“He is of ‘two minds,’” remarked the late Peter Alliss as a tour player stood frozen in the fairway over a shot into a diabolical pin location.
It took a moment for those words to sink in. The phrase “being of two minds” was new to many Americans unfamiliar with British nomenclature.
Being of “two minds” suggests indecision or uncertainty—if nothing else, being of “two minds” indicates a person is wavering between two options. Whatever else it might imply, being of “two minds” is not a place one wants to remain for any length of time.
Anyone who has played golf for an extended period recognizes the perils of indecision (i.e., being of two minds): “go for it or lay up,” and “driver off the tee or three-metal into a tight, tree-lined fairway,” or “carry the wedge to the hole or pitch and run” just to name a few gnarly situations requiring a single-minded commitment.
How often have we heard various players’ commentary after a poorly executed swing say, “I wasn’t committed to that shot.” In other words, they were “double-minded.”
Scripture has quite a bit to say about single-minded devotion. It’s not that the Lord is displeased when we are intensely focused on our families, work, or hobbies; quite the contrary, he wants us to give our best at whatever we find ourselves doing.
In all our endeavors, God is after a heartfelt commitment to doing all we do “as unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). Our ultimate motivation in all our commitments should be to do them to the glory of the Lord.
Single-minded devotion does not require abstaining from those many gifts and pleasures during our time on this earth. In other words, “golf should not be a “guilty pleasure.” The Lord has gifted his children with these many gifts to enjoy.
Opposed to this dualistic way of thinking, what the Lord calls us to learn is doing all we do from a heart that desires “one thing” – our focus is to honor him, not to bring attention to ourselves. We are to honor and glorify the Lord at home, at work, in our civic engagements, and on the golf course.
Another writer says, “A divided mind has self placed at the center. A single mind places the Lord Jesus in His rightful place.”
Learning to dethrone ourselves and enthrone Jesus in our heart’s motivations is no easy task, nor is it possible through willpower.
The power to overcome self-exaltation can only come from above. That is, conquering self-promotion is not achieved through self-reliance. We can only accomplish this by depending on the person and power of the Holy Spirit.
For many, this is a head-scratcher. We often think that if the Lord commanded us to do something, then it must be within our power to obey his will. It turns out that’s not the case.
The only way we can walk in single-minded devotion to our Lord is by knowing his will revealed in Scripture and relying on the person of the Holy Spirit to empower us to accomplish his commands.
Prayer: Jesus! Help us to yield our lives to your power by “keeping in step with the Spirit.”