The Life God Has Assigned

Day 223: 1 Corinthians 7:1-24

“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 ESV

Our reading for today has probably been as misused as much as any other Scripture in the Bible. A majority of the confusion happens at the very top of the chapter, where Paul says that "it is good for a man not to touch a woman (sexual relations)." The ESV and NIV put the phrase in quotes to help us understand that this was most likely one of the questions the Corinthians had.

It is likely that the Christian men had bought into the lie that it was more righteous to have a celibate marriage, which to many of us seems insane. This gave Paul the opportunity to launch into this teaching on contentment and calling.

These are things many in our culture today are still struggling to attain. Many of us are constantly dissatisfied (social media fuels this). We need to get married. We need a different spouse. We need a different job. We need a better-looking car. Those who are married think, "If I were only single..."

The bottom line is this: Yes, you may hate your current relationship or job status, and you probably have some very good reasons, but God has you where you are for a reason. Do the best you possibly can to obey Jesus in the midst of your situational calling. In doing so, we may find that we have more to be thankful for than we at first were able to see.

"There is not a monochrome calling for believers, but all must seek and find what God has for them at different times in their lives." - Thomas Schreiner