Day 371 · Year 2 · Life with God
Undivided devotion
Paul honors singleness as a real gift, not a holding pattern.
Today's passage
1 Corinthians 7:32-35
32I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord.
33But the married man is concerned about the affairs of this world, how he can please his wife,
34and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the work of the Lord, how she can be holy in both body and spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how she can please her husband.
35I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but in order to promote proper decorum and undivided devotion to the Lord.
Berean Standard Bible · public domain
Reflection
Singleness in the church has often been treated as a waiting room. Paul treats it as a gift with its own dignity — a chance for 'undivided devotion to the Lord.' That does not mean singleness never aches. It does mean your life is not on pause until someone shows up. The kingdom of God has always advanced through faithful single people: Jesus himself, Paul, Mary Magdalene, Elisabeth Elliot for long seasons. Your life right now, with God, is not less than. It is yours, and he is with you.
From the great tradition · paraphrased
Elisabeth Elliot · Modern · 20th–21st c. · USA
Elisabeth Elliot lived long seasons of singleness and widowhood with the conviction that obedience and surrender shape the days God actually gives, not the days we wish for.
Paraphrase only. Scripture, not any teacher, is the authority.
Think it through
- What does Paul say is possible in singleness in verses 32–34?
- What is his concern in verse 35 — and what is not?
- What is one undivided way you can serve God in this season?
A prayer to pray
Bring God your honest ache and your honest desire. Ask him for the grace to live this season as a real life, not a waiting room.