The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Corinthians 7:36-37,
"If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong 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."
There are many times in our lives where we feel the need to get the Lord's direction in a personal matter we face. We have a desire to do the right thing, to make wise decisions and please the Lord with the choices we make. Things like what college to attend (or not to attend college), what occupation to pursue, this job or that job, which girl (or boy) to marry, major purchases, etc. I suspect most of us feel that the more important the decision is we need to make, the more important it is to take before the Lord.
Paul's direction here for us is just fascinating as we think about taking important decisions before the Lord. Here he discusses marriage - should a man marry his fiance or not, now that he has become a believer. What can be more important than a decision like that?
What is fascinating here is that Paul provides direction for his readers that we might not expect. What we might expect is for Paul to say something along the lines of "Take the matter before the Lord in prayer and see what direction you think the Lord is giving you."
Instead, he says: you decide! If a man "feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants." He also says a man who has made up his mind does the right thing if he doesn't. His direction is to look at the conditions at play and make a decision.
This is, of course, in the context where the outcome of a matter is not something that results in sin, places some kind of distance between us and the Lord or betrays a weak faith. Paul's perspective is, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16. Be wise by saturating our minds with Scripture to know God's will in the way we live our lives and then apply that to a challenging personal decision.
"If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong 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."
There are many times in our lives where we feel the need to get the Lord's direction in a personal matter we face. We have a desire to do the right thing, to make wise decisions and please the Lord with the choices we make. Things like what college to attend (or not to attend college), what occupation to pursue, this job or that job, which girl (or boy) to marry, major purchases, etc. I suspect most of us feel that the more important the decision is we need to make, the more important it is to take before the Lord.
Paul's direction here for us is just fascinating as we think about taking important decisions before the Lord. Here he discusses marriage - should a man marry his fiance or not, now that he has become a believer. What can be more important than a decision like that?
What is fascinating here is that Paul provides direction for his readers that we might not expect. What we might expect is for Paul to say something along the lines of "Take the matter before the Lord in prayer and see what direction you think the Lord is giving you."
Instead, he says: you decide! If a man "feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants." He also says a man who has made up his mind does the right thing if he doesn't. His direction is to look at the conditions at play and make a decision.
This is, of course, in the context where the outcome of a matter is not something that results in sin, places some kind of distance between us and the Lord or betrays a weak faith. Paul's perspective is, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16. Be wise by saturating our minds with Scripture to know God's will in the way we live our lives and then apply that to a challenging personal decision.
Do you ever get the impression that the Lord loves to see the choices we ourselves make (as opposed to being his marionette) when we are guided by his word? The Lord turns to Michael the angel and says, "Did you see what Trevor just decided to do?" (Now, that could be quite sobering!)
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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