Good morning Lord Jesus, drench me in your love and peace this morning!
“Let each one remain in that situation in life in which he was called…. Do not worry about it…. You were bought with a price. Do not become slaves of men. In whatever situation someone was called, brothers and sisters, let him remain in it with God.” (I Corinthians 7:20-24)
In writing this Paul did not mean that a Christian should take a fatalistic view of life and regard his or her condition as something he or she should definitely remain in forever. If we have the opportunity to improve ourselves for the glory of God, we should do so. If we do not, we should not fret about our state but bloom where God has planted us. We should regard our call to Christ as sanctifying our present situation.
In our day today upward mobility has become a god to many Christians. Our striving for and belief we deserve and are entitled to a bigger home, fancier car, nicer cloths, more things has become a form of worship, and as Paul declares its worship has polluted the church. We need to be content to serve the Lord, to live out our calling, whether in marriage, singleness, a white collar or blue collar job, or whatever socioeconomic condition we may occupy. Our calling as Christians, to bear witness to Jesus Christ, is more important than our calling in life, namely, the place we occupy in the social, economic, and geographical scheme of things. It is unfortunate that many Christians today choose to focus on their limitations rather than on their possibilities as representatives of Jesus Christ. We should use the abilities and opportunities that God gives us rather than feeling sorry for ourselves because we do not have other abilities or opportunities.
Another example of this principle Paul addresses would be on a person’s striving for head knowledge about God above experiencing God through the serving of God. Those in the church in Corinth were valuing education about God over obedience to serving God. This is true in the church today. Paul believed, and I also believe that studying God’s Word and spend time in prayer are very important. If I did not believe so I would not be spending time writing these reflections every morning or leading The Well Nights of Worship and prayer on Friday nights. However, like those in the church Paul was writing to, those in the church today place an unbalanced emphasis and preference on Head knowledge about God over obedience to serving God. They spend time daily and numerous hours weekly in devotion times reading their Bible, in prayer, attending Sunday church services and other gatherings, watching on-lines services and teachings, and attending small groups. Head knowledge. All of this is Good! However, they only show up serve the Lord for an hour a month if that in some ministry, they do not prayer walk their neighborhoods, and they do not prioritize and intentionally set aside time daily and weekly as they do for their devotion and worship times, to serve the Lord and share the Gospel. Obedience. Paul stated that time spent seeking head knowledge about God and time spent obediently serving God must be balanced and equal. Unfortunately, most Christians put more emphasis on getting an education than they do on serving the Lord. This is putting the cart before the horse and is the very thing Paul warned against here.
My family, Paul speaks into the practical, day to day application and practice of a person’s faith. I pray today you will allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in reflecting on areas of discontent in your life that should not be there, were you are striving for and worshipping things you should not, and the unbalances of head knowledge and obedience in your walk with Christ, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God Bless you my friends!
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