Paul
the apostle told the church members in Corinth, “the
time is short”,
and he exhorted, “they that use this
world, as not abusing it” because
“the fashion of this world passes
away”. In
chapter seven and verse thirty-two of First Corinthians, Paul gave
instructions to
the church members, “without
carefulness”
where we read:
But I
would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried
cares
for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
The
verse begins, “But
I would have you without carefulness.”
Paul began
with the word, “But” which
is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “I
would have you” or
“Paul intended, had in mind, was resolved, determined and purposed
to have the church members exist and be present” “without
carefulness”
which means “free from anxiety and care”. Paul desired for the
church members in Corinth to “exist” without the “anxiety”
and “care” that comes with living in a married state.
The
verse continues, “He
that is unmarried cares for the things that belong to the Lord, how
he may please the Lord:” Paul
added the words, “He that is
unmarried” which
means “the person who is unwedded or single” “cares”
or “looks
out for, promotes and provides” “for
the things that belong to”
or “for holdings or properties that are owned or possessed by”
“the Lord”
which refers to “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which
he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the
Messiah”, “how he may please”
which means “how the unmarried person will accommodate themselves
to the opinions, desires and interest of” “the
Lord” or
“he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of
deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah”. Paul
declared how the person who is not
“married”
is concerned with “things” which
pertain to the Lord Jesus, and their drive and passion is to “please
Him”.
When
we consider these words from Paul, we understand his desire to
demonstrate the value of being “single”, because a “single”
person has more time and ability to dedicate themselves to the
“things of the Lord”. Not everyone is built that way, but
the obligations and concern for “marriage” is not a part
of the “single” person's life. As we keep in mind that Paul
desires for everyone to be busy about “the gospel of Jesus Christ”,
he is sharing advantages and disadvantages for doing so. Jesus Christ
desires for all people to be “saved”, and sometimes He allows a
person to continue in their “singleness” that they may be freely
about His business. Whichever state we are in, whether “married”
or “unmarried”, let us dedicate our lives to the “gospel”
of Jesus Christ and allow Him to use us “without carefulness”
anywhere He desires.
Next
time Paul gives instructions to church members to, “he
that is married cares for the things that are of the world”,
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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