Hello my ‘Walking with Jesus‘ friends on this Thursday,
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where conflicting priorities or values in your life caused you to feel you were in a ‘no win’ situation? If so, what did you do to resolve the conflict in your soul? In our study of 1 Corinthians 7 today let’s look at what Paul wrote to some Christians in Corinth who were facing that situation.
The issue was then, and is now, a great struggle for many Christian single men and women. They cannot deny their desire to get married and have a family, but they also have a very strong desire to fully honor and follow Jesus Christ with their lives, even if that means celibacy. Those two desires can seem antithetical and the conflict unresolvable. Do you know any single adults who have struggled with that issue? I’ve known many dear Christian people who’ve agonized over that struggle.
The world of missionary service has for many decades involved this very complex emotional and spiritual struggle. I’ve known several single adult missionaries who felt their willingness to follow what they believed was God’s call and go serve as a single missionary in a foreign country, would destine them to live, for the rest of their lives, a celibate, single life, never marrying or having children. Many have found God’s peace in that and lived wonderful, fulfilled, God honoring lives as single adults. A few others have been surprised that as they went as a missionary, God brought to them a single adult who loved Jesus and a wonderful, God honoring marriage resulted. Some, we must admit, lived with the struggle and it was very difficult for them.
It appears Paul was a single man his entire life, and he was unique in many ways, among the apostles God used to bring the Gospel of Jesus to the known world in the first century. Other men and women wanted to emulate Paul’s celibate lifestyle, but found themselves battling what they felt were God given desires to marry and have a family. Remember yesterday we considered Genesis 2:18? The Holy Spirit led Paul to write: “I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried [Christ following] man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs – how he can please the Lord Jesus. But a [Christ following] married man is concerned about the affairs of this world – how he can please his wife – and his interests are divided…” (1 Cor. 7:32-34)
Pause. Is this true my friends, for both Christian men and women, of any generation, anywhere in the world? Well, as we’ve seen earlier in 1 Corinthians 7, a God honoring marriage requires both husband and wife investing a tremendous amount of both spiritual and emotional energy in loving and serving their spouse for God’s glory. Building a God honoring marriage and family is an important calling of God, requiring a great work of the Holy Spirit. But can a married couple be greatly used by God, with significant spiritual impact, as they follow God’s call to BOTH build a God honoring marriage and family, and at the same time follow the Holy Spirit in significant spiritual ministry impacting our world? Yes, absolutely Yes!
I can assure you, from personal experience, when both husband and wife love Jesus greatly, they can BOTH be a flow of God’s love to each other. in serving each other in their marriage; while, at the same time, they join together in serving Jesus, in their communities, as led by the Holy Spirit. My wife and I have lived that privilege for more than 40 years in 3 different countries and we have known MANY God honoring marriages who’ve done the same! In fact many happily married Christian couples, fully engaged in ministry, believe they are more effective as a married couple serving Jesus together, than they would be if they were two individual, single adults serving Jesus, but not married. We know many children, growing up in such families, experience a call of God to full time Christian service while also building a God honoring marriage as they watched their parents. I am one of those people.
My friends, I urge you to read, very carefully, Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 7:25-38 with these fundamental, spiritual life principles in your mind:
1. God, who designed, created and has sustained your life from the moment of your conception to this moment, knows you far better than you know yourself! (Ps. 139) God knows everything about your past, present and future. If you have a strong desire to marry, it is very likely God has placed that desire in you and will guide you to find your best life partner. But, God has designed each of us to find our greatest fulfillment in life in our love relationship with Him, our creator, through Jesus Christ, God the Son. (John 10:10) With that relationship as our priority, we can trust God to guide us in His full understanding of each of us, to what God knows will be living our BEST life. The issue will always be, do we trust Jesus enough to follow Him?
2. God has designed each of us for strategic involvement in His great purposes in our world during our lifetime. The Holy Spirit is prepared to lead us, in every important decision in both discerning and following God’s leading in our lives for His great glory and our best life experience. The challenge will always be, what Proverbs 3:5-7 calls us to live: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways honor Him and He will direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the LORD and shun evil.”
3. God can give great peace, contentment and fulfillment in life to a single person who never experiences marriage. The apostle Paul identifies himself as one of those, and I hope you have known many other wonderful, God honoring, joyful, Jesus following single adults. This contentment in life is rooted in these words: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” (Deut. 6:5) “…nothing can separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)
Let’s pause right here my dear friends. This is a big issue for many, many people. I urge you to spend some time with Jesus asking Him to give you His fresh perspective on this issue which Paul addressed with the Corinthian Christians. The “lessons learned” notes at the link below will help you, as will a wonderful worship song, and I’ll be here, waiting for you, tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: 1 Cor. 7:25-38
Choose below to read or listen.
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Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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