Since your single state may very well turn out to be temporary, what can you do for God now that you may not be able to do later? The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.” (I Corinthians 7:32-35)
Paul was not against marriage. He was just a very smart man, recognizing our human tendency to get wrapped up in whatever we are involved in, whether that is job, home and family, or the Kingdom. A person has only so much time and energy to put into life’s events. If a person has a family, that has to be a priority, but if he or she is serving God with real intensity, there is going to be a problem having time and energy to do it all. Without a marriage and family, that energy can be dedicated to the things of God. During the time you are single, however long that is, you can be totally involved with Him.
I am convinced that one of the most important things an unmarried person can do is to demonstrate to the Church and to the world that it doesn’t take any thing to be happy. Jesus is enough. He really is. During my longest period of singleness, God challenged me to be an example of His sufficiency in the life of a single person. People actually said to me from time to time, with wonder in their voices, “You’re happy, aren’t you?” As if to say, “You crazy lady, why are you so cheerful?” No, it isn’t easy. I cried sometimes with loneliness and frustration just as others have. But I considered it an honor to be entrusted with the responsibility of being an ambassador for the sufficiency of Christ.
MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)
Thanks to Dr. David Jeremiah (Turning Point) for permission to use the outline of his radio sermon on I Corinthians 7 and quotes from his book Core Vales of the Church: Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, Volume 2. Many years ago during an extended period of singleness, these were a great help to me.
Scripture quotation is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.
Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment