No Compromise


By Dave Stalsbroten

Dave is a student leader at Seattle Pacific University and is passionate about seeing people live with Abandoned Devotion to Jesus Christ.

Compromise is the enemy of wholehearted devotion to God. It seeps into our lives when we make an agreement with the world and settle for its standards instead of God’s promises. It’s a subtle evil because we don’t always make a conscious decision to compromise.

We’re often faced with two or more options (God’s way vs. everything else) and we try to negotiate a path somewhere down the middle.

In our heart of hearts, we’d love to consistently aim for the highest goal, but somehow the reality of Romans 3:23 seems to loom in the background:

“All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.”

As a result, we compromise on the most fundamental thing of all: our faith. We believe God for less, hope for less, pray for less than God’s best because we’re afraid to aim high and miss, or even worse, we’re wary of becoming caught up in the sin of legalism.

As Christian students today, one of the greatest threats we face is the danger of compromising our identity in Christ. How often do we chase after the affirmation and approval of other people, forgetting that we have been bought by the blood of Jesus?

We are sons and daughters of the Most High, the image-bearers of Almighty God – and yet we exchange these treasures for the filth of this world – temporary pleasures and flattery.

So you ask, “What does the uncompromised life look like? Is it even possible?” One figure in Biblical history provides a resounding “Yes” to these questions. His life stands apart as a model of uncompromising devotion to God – you know him as King David.

At first you might scoff in disbelief – how could such a man be called “uncompromising” in the eyes of God, especially in light of all his public failures and scandals?

In reality, these failures should be a great encouragement to us because they remind us that while man looks at the outward appearances, God is always looking at the heart.

David knew a secret at the core of his being that he never compromised: It was the knowledge that God enjoyed and delighted in him, no matter what. As a result, he will be forever remembered as “a man after God’s own heart.” This is our goal as well.

When we focus on merely avoiding mistakes in our own strength, it quickly leads to burnout and discouragement. Instead, we must have a moment in our lives when we decide that we will no longer compromise with the world when it comes to our understanding of God.

If we cling to the knowledge that God loves us, likes us, and even enjoys being with us – and refuse to believe any of the lies that say otherwise, we will be empowered to live extraordinary, grace-filled lives.

We will dare to do great things for God out of victorious and joyful hearts, rather than because of condemnation or guilt. We won’t settle for anything less than the best that He has to offer, because we will stand firm in the knowledge of who He is.

Think about it – when Jesus called people to follow him, he never asked if they were capable of living perfectly righteous lives. He simply asked if they were willing to follow.

Friends, it is absolutely possible to live a life of passionate, radical, uncompromising devotion to Jesus Christ, but it’s entirely dependent upon who He is, and not upon our own strength. The first thing we must do is believe in him – never compromise on this – and everything else will be added.

A Prayer For Our Generation:

Father, let us be a people after Your heart. Mold us into men and women of passion who will live with absolute, uncompromising devotion to your Son, Jesus Christ. Stir in us the zeal to pursue Your purposes with complete abandon, forsaking all else for the glory of your Name.

Help us to choose Your promises and Your calling over the temptations of this world. Keep us from compromise, Lord.

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