Daily Devotion with Pastor Tong Liu: Today's Passage

1 Corinthians 7:35-40

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. If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin-this man also does the right thing. So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better...

Paul talked about the principle of being single and being married in this passage. In the church during Paul's time, there were some fathers who kept their daughters single to serve God. Paul emphasized that no matter single or married, the important thing is to hold on to your identity. The single should serve God in their singleness, and the married should do the same.

Of course, it is a wonderful thing when singles serve the Lord. The singles do not have any burden and can focus wholeheartedly on serving God. This is why Catholics encourage priests to keep celibacy. The main purpose is specifically to love the Lord. Yet if one desires to be married, we cannot force them to be single for the Lord, because rules cannot quench the desires of the heart. So whether single or married, the most important thing for us is to find time to love God wholeheartedly. Single people are often tempted by lust and loneliness, and hence fall into sexual temptations. Many catholic priests fall into this trap as well. Hence being single is difficult as well because you face a lot of temptations. Married people have different problems. They are busy with family life and busy meeting the needs of everyone in the family. As a result, they have little time, and have difficulty finding time to serve God wholeheartedly.

As such, Paul mentioned here that God wants us to focus on serving Him whether we are single or married. Being single or married, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. The important thing is how we can love God wholeheartedly in our current life situation. May the Lord help us, whatever circumstances we are in, to learn to come before God, to focus on loving Him and following Him wholeheartedly. Let us not judge others, but focus n letting His grace be manifested in our lives.

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, we thank you for the beautiful freedom we have in Christ, so that we can choose to serve you no matter in what life situation we are in. May you grant us strength, and be with us personally to teach us how to glorify your name in whatever stage of our lives we are in. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!