Paul
the apostle spoke “by permission, and
not of commandment”
that married people should not “defraud”
one another “except it
be with consent for a time, that”
they “may give”
themselves “to fasting and prayer;
and come together again, that Satan tempt”
them “not for”
their “incontinence”.
In chapter seven and verse seven of First
Corinthians, Paul told the husbands and wives among the church
members that he desired “that all men were
even as I myself”
where we read:
For I
would that all men were even as I myself.
But
every man has his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and
another after that.
The
verse begins, “For
I would that all men were even as I myself.”
Paul began
with the word, “For”
or “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and therefore”
“I would that all men” which
means “Paul desired, wished and had in mind that each, every, the
whole and every human whether male or female”“were
even as”
or “would also and even be like” “I
myself”
which means “Paul himself”. Paul desired for everyone to be “even
as” he was in the world.
The
verse goes on to say, “But
every man has his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and
another after that.” Paul
continued with the word, “but”
which is a
disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written
takes precedence over what was just stated “every
man” or
“each, all, the whole and everyone”“has
his proper gift” which
means “holds, owns and possesses their own personal gratuity,
endowment or miraculous faculty” “of
God” which
refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God
the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “one
after” or
“that which is truly, certainly, surely and indeed according to”
“this manner”
which means “this fashion”, “and
another”
or “that which is truly, certainly, surely and indeed” “after
that”
which refers to “according to thus and so fashion”. Although Paul
desired for everyone to be as he was in the world, he resigned to the
fact that every person had their different and varying gifts.
When
we meditate upon these words from Paul, we understand that he was
inferring his desire that everyone would be “single” as he was in
the world. If people were single and did not desire to marry, the
issues of “fornication” and “conjugal rights” would
not be their concern. He did, however, realize that most people would
not be able to be as he was in the world and understood that each
person has their own “gift” from God. Jesus Christ has
distributed various “gifts” throughout His church. For
some, they are to marry, and for others, they are able to live a pure
single life. Paul did, and as the “bride of Christ” he thought it
was a “gift of God” to live in that manner. This in no way
elevates his standing above those who are married because Paul
understood some people do better when they are married. Let us live
in a manner that is pleasing to God whether we are gifted with being
married or single, and may God use us in His kingdom to show others
what it means to have a relationship with Him.
Next
time Paul addresses the “unmarried
and widows”
in the Corinthian church, so read ahead, and we shall join together
then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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