The Principle of Objective Living

Objective living is the practice of orienting one's entire life around a single, God-centred purpose. It stands in contrast to a life pulled in competing directions, and calls believers to align every dimension of their being — thought, desire, action — with the reality of God's Kingdom and His righteousness.

The Call to Single-Minded Devotion

As believers our highest goal and duty in life is to love God with every part of our being (Mk 12:30). Jesus gave His life to save us from eternal torment in hell; it is the least we can do in appreciation for Him stepping into our otherwise impossible situation. We are instructed to seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness — His right way of living — before being concerned with the affairs of this life (Mt 6:32-33). When we put God first, He will ensure the other matters are taken care of.

God said to the Israelites, "I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good…" (Jer 32:39). The early believers had a singleness of purpose to grow in the knowledge of salvation, and this was outworked in their lifestyle (Act 2:42-47). Our work ethics should be single-focused, "as being done to God," not dependent on whether the boss is watching us or not (Eph 6:5; Col 3:22).

I live for Christ – Philippians 1:21

The Impossibility of Serving Two Masters

The Bible states, "It is impossible to serve two opposing masters at the same time" (Mt 6:24). As there would be a conflict of interest, we must choose who we will be faithful to. Wavering between the two is not a viable option. As God's Kingdom will endure forever, it makes sense to invest our time and resources in it rather than put our effort into that which will ultimately not last.

When we know His calling on our lives, this will motivate and empower us to be intentional in what we do and guard against distractions. For unless we have something to aim at, we will wander and drift through life with nothing much accomplished. However, the other extreme is to be so driven that we burn out and walk all over people in an attempt to achieve at any cost. Frustration can occur when desired intentions don't materialise as we thought they would.

Objective truth claims are based on reality and are true for everyone, whether they agree with them or not — it is the truth. Meanwhile the claims of subjective truth can't be evaluated apart from human opinions. The Christian faith rests on objective truth: the historical reality of Christ's resurrection, the unchanging character of God, and the authority of His Word.

Objective vs subjective truth

Guarding Against the Extremes

A life without objective will drift, but a life consumed by objective can also become distorted. The believer is called neither to aimless passivity nor to driven self-reliance. Rather, the objective is to be held before God — submitted to His timing, His methods, and His priorities. When ambition is sanctified, it becomes fuel for faithful service rather than a source of burnout or relational harm.

Making all of life serve that purpose is the active, deliberate work of aligning every part of life toward a single God-centred end — nothing wasted, nothing competing. Singleness of purpose does not mean narrowness of life. It means that every dimension of life — work, relationships, rest, creativity — is brought under one guiding allegiance. The result is not restriction but freedom: freedom from the tyranny of competing loyalties, and freedom to live with clarity, conviction, and enduring fruitfulness.

Nothing wasted, nothing competing

Reflection and Application:

What competing loyalties currently divide your attention and dilute your devotion to God?
How might reordering your priorities around God's Kingdom change your daily decisions?
Are you more prone to aimless drift or driven burnout — and what would balance look like?
What would it mean for your work, relationships, and rest to be offered "as being done to God"?