Divided or United

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

DIVIDED OR UNITED

1 Cor 7:32-35

32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs — how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world — how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world — how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

NIV

Paul continues to hammer away at the idea of marriage as if it is not a good thing because it takes away from being totally devoted to God. Granted, from what we can understand from all Paul said before about the people in this church in Corinth, they were living as though they were not even believers. The Corinthian church had far too much sexual immorality going on, and this is why Paul was giving them all these instructions. That has vanished from the post-modern church, for the most part. However, they did not have the advantage of having all the scriptures that we do. Being mostly Greek Gentiles they did not even know of the Torah, or any of the words of the prophets to help guide there lives. What we notice here is that Paul is not telling them anything contrary to what God established in that it is not good for man to be alone, but to be with a woman as a united pair. Paul says that he does not say what he is to restrict them, that is he is not talking about living as single or being a virgin their whole lives. If that were the case for all mankind, we would become extinct within a hundred years or so. God did establish marriage, that a man and a woman should be united and become one flesh. The main point always comes down to having a divided heart. Yes, it is true that when we enter into marriage, we have concerns regarding our spouse, as it should be according to what God commanded Adam and Eve. However, there is always the issue of having a divided heart. God intended Adam and Eve, as an example to all their offspring, to walk together in His presence. Sin certainly changes all that because we became aware of both good and evil. Therefore, this evil that resides within all of us can cause a divided heart, if left unchecked. It is not so much about being concerned about our spouses over our concern for God, but about our concern for the ways of the world. We should not live with divided devotion to God. Within marriage, being united with our spouse, we can still be devoted to God, as the two united people have become one flesh, so we devote ourselves to God rather than the desires of the world. It is only a few denominations that require their servants to remain unmarried. But we hear of so much sexual immorality among the ranks of those servants. Within most denominations, the men and woman called to be servants of God are married, and yet still serve the Lord full-time. A man was not meant to be alone, but man was also not called to live with a divided heart. Let us not live seeking the things of the world over seeking God, for we have been told to seek first the kingdom of God, and God will add all these things of the world to us. He will provide us with all that we need. Our task, our calling is to seek Him first and foremost in our lives, being of a united heart.