1 Corinthians 7

I was faced with a question, not to long ago, concerning a passage of scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:7-9.

 1 Corinthians 7:7-9 – “For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

Is it better not to get married? What does this mean? Should I stay single for the rest of my life? Let’s take a deeper look at chapter 7 of 1 Corinthians. Here are some of the points we unveil:

1 Corinthians 7:7 – “…For I wish that all men were even as I myself [unmarried]…”

 1 Corinthians 7:8 – “…But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am [unmarried]…”

 1 Corinthians 7:26 – “…It is good for a man to remain as he is [unmarried]…”

 1 Corinthians 7:27 – “…Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife…”

1 Corinthians 7:38 – “…So then he who gives her [his virgin daughter] in marriage does well, but he who does not give her [his virgin daughter] in marriage does better….”

 At this point of my study, I was starting to question marriage. Not having come to any solid conclusion, I thought, ‘I must be missing something…but what?’ I had to answer the question ‘Why?’, that I had attached to each of the previous verses above.

 After a bit of reading, I found my answer:

 1 Corinthians 7:32 – “…But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord — how he may please the Lord…”

 1 Corinthians7:35 – “…And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction…”

 Paul is telling us in these two passages that if we are able to abstain from marriage, we will be able to concentrate our focus completely on the Lord! At this point, I was pretty pumped! I, of course, wanted to do anything that would draw me extraordinarily close to God! I thought I had just found it! But wait! Let’s take another look at 1 Corinthians 7:8 & 9.

 1 Corinthians 7:8-9 – “But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

 Check out that last part of the passage, ‘but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion’

 This put a new spin on my thoughts, mighty quick. There is, now, a prerequisite, you might say, to staying single. We must be able to exercise self-control to a point of extremity that very few are able to reach.

 1 Corinthians 7:1-2 – “It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.”

 Looking at the first couple verses in chapter 7 of 1 Corinthians, we see nearly the same ideas. It’s good if a man never touches a woman, but because of sexual immorality, it is probably best if he gets married. One of the benefits of marriage is to act almost as a safeguard from sexual immorality.

 I think we have finally come to some sort of conclusion. Here it is:

 Ultimately, it is best if a man/woman stays unmarried. (1 Cor. 7:8 ) Why? Because, by doing so, we are able to serve the Lord without the concern. (1 Cor. 7:32) However, due to man’s fall in the garden, sexual immorality has penetrated the minds of mankind. Because of this, very few people are able to exercise self-control to the point needed to stay unmarried. (1 Cor. 7:1-2) But, if you are able to stay single (while also staying pure), with God’s help, then it is best to do so.

 Sounds like we are finished huh? Not quite. You see, we now face the question, “If it is best for a man to stay unmarried, why did God ever create woman?” Ahhh, we come to a point of controversy (not that this whole post hasn’t been controversial…). Our conclusion doesn’t match with God’s design. What now? Let’s go all the way back to Genesis.

 Genesis 2:18 – “And the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’”

 So did God know that Adam would need a helpmate when He created the world? Absolutely! So why didn’t He just make Adam and Eve at the same time? He did that with every other animal? The answer is quite simple. God wanted Adam to realize this for himself.

 Genesis 2:20 – “So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.”

 So God created woman. Man and woman are like… puzzle pieces… they fit. (Trying to make this as less awkward as possible) Mankind was designed for marriage. This is how it was meant to be from the beginning.

 1 Corinthians chapter 7 is not lying… it’s only speaking the truth about an exception. Being single, as Paul was, is an exception to the general ‘rule’ of marriage. For example, if a man is born without legs, can God use him in extraordinary ways? Of course! Is he any less useful than a man born with two legs… you might venture to blurt out a quick, ‘No!’ like I did. But the fact is, yes, he is less useful. Having no legs is a handicap whether you like it or not. The man with two legs is a whole lot more versatile than the man with no legs. He is able to do things that a man with no legs can never dream of doing.

 We have to think of this exception in two ways: percentage and actual numbers. Let’s use circles to illustrate this.

 

Considering their importance in furthering God’s kingdom, both (unmarried and married) are 100% important, as illustrated by the percentages in the circles. But in usefulness, married people are more useful, as illustrated by the 1^st numbers in the circle.

 Disclaimer: the 1,000 and 100 should not be taken as saying that married couples are 10x more useful than single people. This was just an example.

So, is it better to not get married? The short answer is ‘Ask God.’

If He can use you in more powerful ways than He could if you were married, (like He did with Paul) then it is best.

The Winds of ‘Change’

As most of you… all of you probably know, Senator Barack Hussein Obama won the November 4th, 2008 Presidential election. It was a stirring time for everyone. Those McCain supporters are disappointed and not quite sure what the next four years hold in store for them. The avid supporters of Obama, on the other hand, await eagerly to see the promised improvements to America. I, for one, am not an Obama fan. A quick disclaimer up front: this post is not about bashing Obama!

Those of us who stand adamantly behind McCain/Palin are not, what you might call, at ease.  Obama has been called every name in the book including the anti-Christ! But we are overlooking something. Obama IS OUR NEXT PRESIDENT! We can’t go on strike, move to Australia, assassinate Obama during his inauguration speech, etc. It’s just not practical… well, some people might attempt these things but for the average American all we can do is trust God, pray, and continue living our lives.

That’s one thing that we keep saying, “Trust God and everything will work out!” Yes, trust God! But when we bring up God, we need to look to ALL aspects of God. Including His Word. Let’s take a quick peek at Romans 13 shall we?

Romans 13:1&2 - ”Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.”

Take a look at those first nine words. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities…” Obama is now our governing authority whether we like it or not. Let us continue to be on our knees praying, but also let us respect those in authority over us as God has commanded. This post isn’t intended to be depressing or pessimistic, though that’s how it may comes across. Just remember that while we brew in our own disappointment we need to be praying for those in authority.

1 Timothy 2:1&2 - ”Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

Kings and all who are in authority. This means Obama. Pray.

A friend of a friend of a…

Ever since 2006 I’ve been participating in various campaigns. One of which, was the Alan Seabaugh Campaign. It just so happens that Mr. Alan’s wife was the daughter of Dr. Jim Gardner who was running for the Central School Board. Dr. Gardner had played a large part in my being able to swim on the Central High Swim Team last year and when he found out I had worked on his son-in-law’s campaign, he asked if I would help him out. So, for the past month or so I’ve been helping Dr. Gardner canvas his district (which is the biggest district by the way) and our efforts finally paid off last Saturday. We were invited to Coopers Catering for a time of celebration on faith while we awaited the numbers to come in. After a while, we soon found that Dr. Gardner had won by a distinct margine! This is a picture of my family, my friend who helped me out a bit, and Dr. Gardner and his wife Mrs. Mary Ann.

Back row: Josie, Mary, Dr. Gardner, Mrs. Marry Ann, Me, Mom

Front Row: Dad, Anna

We had a great time! Congratulations Dr. Gardner!

A ‘Gorgeous’ Governor

Reading articles everyday about the now famed Sarah Palin, I see a growing rise in her popularity. Even internationaly. It’s amazing how the governor of Alaska can, within a few weeks, become a hot topic. No pun intended there. I read an article today, speaking of Governor Palin’s meeting and greeting with Asif Ali Zardari, the new president of Pakistan. It’s unbelievable, the nerve this guy has. The president of Pakistan was hitting on the soon to be vice president.

After receiving complements on her looks from Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s information minister, she is greeted by Zardari himself. Zardari tells her she is ‘gorgeous’ and then goes as far as to say that he would hug her. According to him, the hug would be for the media. Anyway, I’m not to sure this put Governor Sarah Palin in a comfortable situation, but if McCain and Palin get elected, Pakistan just might be a little easier to deal with.

Blue Book Report

Modeled after the news site Drudge Report, the makers of Blue Book, Monument Publishing, have come out with a  news site of their own. The difference is that this news site, Blue Book Report, only has news articles on the topic of U.S./India relations. For those who don’t know what the Blue Book is, and are slightly confused, the Blue Book is a source book, written and published by Monument Publishing, giving case ideas and evidence for debaters debating under the NCFCA speech & debate legue. This year’s resolution is:

Resolved, that the United States Federal Government should significantly change it’s policy toward India.

This is the basis for all debates this season. What Monument Publishing does is provide a jump start for us debaters. 

Obama’s Mama

My dad found this video. I think he makes his point pretty clear.

You can find the website here.

Read my lipstick

The presidential elections are drawing close and the presidential candidates have chosen their right hand man… or woman. Senator Barak Obama made his choice of Joe Biden; Sarah Palin, being John McCain’s choice.

As the two teams work to raise their popularity, and hopefully their number of voters, we see something incredible. When John McCain’s running mate was announced (Sarah Palin), many were shocked and distraught over his choice. Hardly anyone had heard of the governor of Alaska and some had their doubts about her. 

However, soon after the announcement, the doubts were overridden by awe, inspiration, and admiration. Sarah Palin presented her speech at the Republican Convention, as well as John McCain’s acceptance speech. 

Sara palin’s speech, filled with determination and passion, had a little bit of everything. Family, McCain, Obama, Governor of Alaska, responsibility and other topics. Her words drowned out the seeds of doubt, planted in the minds of McCain supporters… and even some Obama supporters for that matter.

Since McCain’s announcement that Sara Palin would be his running mate, his popularity in the polls have sky rocketed. There was a reported 6% rise in the democratic party and almost 12% in Independent, not to mention republican. 

We are excited by this team running for the presidential office and let’s hope that their words will carry through into their actions as they prepare to lead this nation forward in the coming four years. May God bless them, and continue to guide them in their campaign. God Bless America!

On the Summit

Three weeks ago was the start of an incredible experience. I received the opportunity to attend Summit Ministries, which is a two week worldview analysis camp. The session I attended was based out of Manatou Springs, Colorado, though there are 3 or 4 locations. I arrived to find myself standing in front of an old hotel built in the 1880’s. This was the Summit Hotel. We all found our rooms and luckily, mine was near the cafeteria as well as the lecture hall. My room consisted of eight guys: Connor, myself, Zac, Garrett, Jesse, Nathan, Gavin, and Landon. (They are listed in the order of the picture.)

Bound by the “Cross”

Two weeks ago, in our writing class at co-op, we were watching a video. This video was titled “How Great is Our God”. If you haven’t seen the video, I would ask you to watch it before reading this post. It’s incredible! I had never seen it before and as I watched a new realization overcame me. I’m so puny and insignificant in comparison to the rest of God’s creation… and yet, God still loved me so much that He sent His son down to die on the cross for my sins! How Great is MY God!

John 3:16 ”For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

God is the one who holds the universe together, including us!

Colossians 1:15-20 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

What holds us together? Laminin! So… what exactly is laminin?

The “stresses” of Proverbs

Just a few weeks ago, I was reading my Bible and my mom came and looked over my shoulder. She noticed that I was reading Proverbs and made a suggestion for me. She suggested that I get together 3 or 4 different color highlighters and as I read Proverbs, highlight a certain word that appears over and over with a certain color highlighter! This is very applicable because it not only helps you to focus on what you are reading but it gives you a better understanding on how much the book of Proverbs stresses certain things. For example, this is what I used:

Pink = Knowledge/Understanding

Blue = Instruction/council/teaching

Green = Foolishness/Fools

Yellow = Wisdom/Wise

Each of these words I highlight a certain color because these are words that appear a lot in Proverbs and are stressed so often. Now you don’t necessarily have to highlight every word in every chapter of Proverbs but you may just want to go through the first chapter. Or if you want don’t to highlight the whole word and make your copy of Proverbs look like a rainbow you can just make a highlight dot on the side of the verse that contains that word. I would suggest doing it! It doesn’t really matter how.