Today's Scripture
As you have been gifted…so walk – I Corinthians 7: 1-3, 6-9
TODAY’S READING SCHEDULE: Job 17-19; 1 Corinthians 7:1-19(CEB)
1 Now about those questions you asked in your last letter: my answer is that if you do not marry, it is good. 2 But usually it is best to be married, each man having his own wife, and each woman having her own husband, because otherwise you might fall back into sin. 3 The man should give his wife all that is her right as a married woman, and the wife should do the same for her husband.
6 I’m not saying you must marry, but you certainly may if you wish. 7 I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of a husband or wife, and others he gives the gift of staying happily unmarried. 8 So I say to those who aren’t married, and to widows – better to stay unmarried if you can, just as I am. 9 But if you can’t control yourselves, go ahead and marry. It is better to marry than to burn with lust. (The Living Bible)
What does this passage mean to me/us? Contributed by Sarah Pero
Paul is teaching the Corinthians the principles of marriage and to live as one has been called, either to be happy as a single person, or to be happy and committed as a married person. Paul was committed to celibacy in his Christian life, giving his all to his Lord and Savior. He truly thought that was the best way to walk as a Christian. But he understood that it was also a good thing to be married and to share the Christian life with someone else. Dr. David Jeremiah writes in his commentary on this chapter, “Paul is saying, as you have been gifted…so walk. If you are gifted to be celibate, do not covet marriage. If you have been given a spouse, do not desire another or forsake the marriage for celibacy, either by divorce or denial. Every Christian should live the life for which he or she has been equipped by God, and be content. Being a Christian is not about changing oneself externally to conform to the expectations of others; it is about being transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit into the image of the Son.”
Prayer
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