1 Corinthians – Chapter 7

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. 1 Corinthians 7:17 – While there was high levels of sexual immorality in the Corinthian church and in the culture around the church at that time, there was also the flip side present to. There was also such a high level of fear in some of the church from committing sins of sexual immorality that they were makes drastic moves to remain pure. They were abstaining from all sex, even in a godly marriage. They were believing they needed to divorce their spouse so they wouldn’t be tempted to have sexual relations anymore. The church was so confused on how to handle marriage. Paul’s words on the matter? Remain as you are. If God has called you to be single, great, remain as you are and follow Jesus. If God has called you to be married, great, remain as you are and follow Jesus. If you have made mistakes with sexual sin in your past or mishandled marriages and divorce wrongly in your past, then live now as God has called you to through His word knowing you can’t undo the past. The heart beat of the passage is for us to live for the Lord. We can’t undo the mistakes we’ve made, and some situations from our past can’t be reconciled by us, so instead choose today to from now on live as God has called you to. Even if it hasn’t been this way in your past, you can today begin to handle sex, marriage, divorce, and all other things that scriptures speaks on in the ways God calls you to. Trust that Jesus’ atonement is able to cover the past and that God’s grace is able to lead you now in a faithful walk after Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3114

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. (v.17) When you’re invested into a ministry heavily, it’s easy to see your work as of higher value than others. That those who aren’t serving in your area aren’t serving the Lord as well as you are and become judgmental over your brothers and sisters. What we have to understand is that our work, if we are following the direction of the Lord, is extremely valuable, but the work our brothers and sisters are doing is extremely valuable as well. Possibly you have a gift for working with teenagers and can connect and help them fall in love with Jesus, but that doesn’t make your work any more important than those who are committed prayer warriors in the church or those who are invested in keeping the church building looking nice. If someone has been called to serve whether it is cleaning bathrooms, changing diapers, or preaching, we need to encourage their following of that call rather than looking down on it because it might not be what we were called to. We need people in the church who are willing to listen to the call wherever God is leading them and for those of us who have found that spot we need to encourage them and each other to continue following wherever God has lead us. Without this, we’ll be a church that lacks unity and direction and love for each other. God has called you and He’s called your brother too. Encourage the commitment rather than discourage the calling. – Daily DEVO 10

Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1 Corinthians 7:5 – This passage is sharing with us how to handle our sex life in our marriage. What I love about this is that according to scripture when we handle sex the way God teaches us to, not only is it not sinful, but it actually keeps the enemy away. Something like sex that the world has perverted so much can actually keep us safe from the enemy’s attacks, yet only when we handle it like God says to handle it. Same with marriage, money, power, relationship, talents. All can be tools to draw us closer to God or tools the enemy uses to tear us away from a faithful life following God. Make sure you are seeking God’s direction on how to handle all these things. Listen to Him and humble your ways to His ways. Only when we allow God’s way of living be the way we live will we truly see how good things like marriage, sex, and all these other things can be. So whatever stage you’re in on the category of relationships follow God’s lead each step of the way so you can taste the best version of the stage you’re in. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 709

This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none…1 Corinthians 7:29 – Context, context, context. If you read this with no context of what Paul is speaking on you may walk away from this passage with a completely wrong message! What’s is being spoken of here? Paul is reminding the church of how precious each moment we have is. We have no clue as to when Jesus will return or when the lives of those around us will end. Every second matters in this effort to share the gospel with the world. Paul then tells us to seek to live as if all you had in your life was God. Live totally focused on Him. As if…you weren’t married, weren’t a parent, weren’t focused on anything of this world. This does not mean to forsake and forget about your responsibilities, but to imagine how focused you would be without them and strive for that even in the midst of your relationships. Be the best spouse you can be (or best parent, brother, sister, etc.) yet seek to live so focused on Jesus and the mission of the gospel as if there was nothing else but Him in your story. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1774