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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:32-35
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
The Lord expects us to be totally devoted to Him. There is no question about this. He has made it clear since the very beginning.
Need an example?
Go back and look at the covenant He made with the Israelites. It went like this as He spoke with Moses before He delivered the Israelites from the clutches of Pharaoh and Egypt:
“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’” Exodus 6:6-8
Then He stated the intent of this covenant while talking to the prophet Jeremiah.
I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be My people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. Jeremiah 7:23
God vowed to be the God of the Israelites. He would be totally committed to them. In return, they were to be completely devoted to Him. As long as they would do this, they would be living as God intended, in a way that was pleasing in His sight.
But that’s not what happened.
Unfortunately, the Israelites allowed their focus to turn from God. The affairs of the world around them first took on a greater importance than God’s ways and then infected the Israelites’ way of living, leading them away from righteousness and into sinfulness. They adopted a spirit of disobedience and disrespected the Lord God Almighty, actions which ultimately brought on His judgment.
Fast forward to the 21st century and sadly we see that not much has changed from those Old Testament days. If anything, it has worsened.
With the advent of the New Covenant God made with His people, He made it clear that He wished to be in relationship with everyone. In biblical talk, this was conveyed by saying that salvation was available to both the Jews and the Gentiles (essentially, everyone that was a non-Jew) through belief in His Son Jesus. For those who chose to enter into this special covenant, the same level of devotion relationship came into play and it always will until that day when Christ returns.
God expects all Christians to be fully devoted to Him and in turn, He is always devoted to them. Total devotion is to exist on both sides and God never fails to uphold His side of the bargain. We are the ones that fail Him.
How does this happen? How do we lose our concentration on the God who demands out full attention?
Because we, like the Israelites of old, allow the world and its ways to distract us, whether it’s through the things the world offers or the relationships we find ourselves in, especially committed relationships like marriage.
This takes us to the words of Paul as we continue to look at chapter 7 of 1 Corinthians. Here’s what he has to say in today’s featured passage:
I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
His point here isn’t to endorse staying single over being married. Rather, he’s just cautioning that being married adds another person into the mix, a person who will require and deserve attention. Together, the husband and wife may think about having children or acquiring worldly possessions to support their family. Typically, there’s a lot more in play for married couples than for singles. It’s a big reason that people opt for the simplicity of remaining uncommitted in life.
Paul reinforces this as he writes to the Christians in Corinth. He states that unmarried men and women are able to better be concerned solely for the Lord’s affairs and how they can please Him. They are able to remain devoted entirely in body and spirit.
Conversely, married men and women become more concerned with the affairs of the world and one another. Their interests become divided and only a portion of their interest is directed to the Lord. It’s s slippery slope to be on because if a person isn’t careful the things of the world can take over and push the Lord completely out of the picture. As the old saying goes, “If you’re not careful with your possessions, they can possess you.”
Ultimately, Paul’s point is that we need to give the Lord our undivided attention. Period. This is the only way to truly live right, whether single or married. For when it comes to having a relationship with God, total devotion is required.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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