For the last three years, I’ve been blessed with an incredible marriage with my wonderful wife Paige. We have shared countless laughs, joyous experiences, deep talks, hardships to overcome, and loving moments, and have both grown tremendously thanks to each other’s support in this short time. I wouldn’t have wanted our years together to happen any other way. Proverbs 18:22 puts it well: “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”
But marriage does not remove all life’s problems: such a deep relationship brings its own new needs and trials to life. Especially a life of biblical principle in this modern culture. Paul’s writing to the church at Corinth here shows a little of how some of the dynamics between church and culture unfortunately haven’t changed too much; the tense navigation of godly marriage principles in a society that enables promiscuous, noncommittal relationships. But at the heart of Paul’s writing is this simple fact: married or unmarried, free or servant, no matter what the circumstances of your life led you to where you are now, or any of the different characteristics that make up you as a person; what matters is devoting who you are to serve Christ to the best of your abilities.
Back a few weeks ago, we mentioned becoming “slaves of righteousness” in Romans 6: “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.“ Paul mentions here in 1 Corinthians 7 23-24: “He who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.” I’ve met Christians who’ve come from all walks of life before their death to sin and rebirth in Christ. No matter what depth your servitude to sin was before, Christ died on a cross to claim that servitude for Himself, for a life serving God’s righteousness and justice. But we’re all alike in the outcome: navigating temptation, interpersonal discord, and purity surrounded by a culture of quick, easy pleasure can lead to sin no matter what your circumstance is. To give in and soil Christ’s sacrifice for our sanctification goes against Christ’s wish for us, Paul warns – by returning to your old ways, you return ownership of yourself to earthly sin. And you know what Matthew 6:24 says about serving two masters. Enslaving yourself to the world means rejecting the previously accepted price Christ paid for our freedom through His death on a cross, and what greater insult could we pay?
I think back to what BJ went into on Tuesday’s writing: God has given us each personal gifts, and it’s connected to other believers that we find ourselves more fully equipped in God’s word. Our relationship status is just one manner of this: do you lift up and honor God in your own marriage or singleness through your own unique trials, while uplifting others and encouraging them to do the same in the way God has blessed them? Or do your hesitations with where you are in life drag others down? If you are single and struggle with temptation, do you have strong brother/sisterhood in Christ to confide & strengthen each other in? If you are married, do you raise God’s purpose for your union above marital discord, honoring & pleasing your spouse while strengthening their conviction, and sharing that strength with other couples who could use wisdom and godly principles in this age of lackadaisical love? Do your words and actions reflect acceptance of who God made you to be & unify those around you in seeking God, or does a lack of empathy cloud your judgement and lead you to unwittingly distract others from God?
Lord, I thank you for blessing me with the life you have. I pray for help every day honoring you through following your command in how I interact with those around me. I want to grow each day in application of your word, both in my marriage, and in sharing what we’ve accomplished together with those around us. I pray each person find this satisfaction & growth in their love of you, no matter where they are in life. Most of all, help us avoid temptation and sin in the relationships we keep, so that we may better strengthen our conviction and service for our one true master, keeper of our one true debt: our Lord Jesus Christ.