Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

To begin this devotional, I want to share some very helpful insight from Warren Wiersbe’s New Testament Commentary: In this chapter, Paul is addressing a list of questions/concerns submitted by the people of Corinth. As Wiersbe explains, Paul is not offering a complete theological explanation of marriage in this chapter, but rather addressing very specific questions related to very specific people who Paul would have known. As Wiersbe encourages, we should read this chapter with careful consideration of the rest of scripture’s teaching – as Paul actually references Jesus’ exact teachings on these issues when possible.

Think of this chapter as the old “Dear Abby” column in the papers, or like the current AMA (ask me anything) trend on social media. All issues were fair game, and the Corinthians didn’t hold back.

Here’s the big idea: Marriage is serious business.

As we see throughout scripture, marriage is the most tangible example we will ever have of the way God relates with His church. Oftentimes, God’s relationship with His people is described with wedding language – the Bridegroom (Christ) and Bride of Christ (the Church). The mysteriousness of marriage (the fact that we can grow in love with someone over years while we have an up-close view of their flaws) gives us a glimpse into the mysteriousness of salvation (that God would pursue us in our sin and redeem us back to Himself through His only Son).

Because of this reality, we MUST see how easy of a target marriage can be for the enemy. Of course, the enemy will attack our marriages because it is a tangible example of our relationship with Christ. He can’t ruin our salvation, but he sure can try to ruin the most comparable relationship to it we have on earth.

Marriage within God’s design is not to be taken lightly or seen through a temporary or selfish lens. Just like the chapters leading up to this one – as believers, we must step back from the specific issues at hand and check our motives against the bigger picture of God’s design.

In God’s design, marriage is to be entered into by one man and one woman for life. And the goal of that marriage is not self-seeking or self-centered, instead, it must be Christ-centered with a mission toward God’s glory. Ultimately, marriage is a covenant relationship with eternal implications.

As believers, let us remain steadfast in our convictions around what God says is important – and marriage, to God, is serious business.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• If you are married, set aside specific time each day to pray for your spouse. If you aren’t praying for them – who else in the world is? That responsibility and honor is yours.
• If you are married, pray specifically for your marriage. Ask God to give you eyes for your spouse only, to fan the flames of romance inside your marriage, and to give you extra doses of grace for each other. Ask God to protect your marriage and to give you both a deep conviction to fight for each other and your relationship.
• Pray for your friends’ marriages, too. Ask God to build strong communities around your family that honor the marriage covenant in the way that God designed it.
• If you are not married – single, divorced, widowed – your church loves you. You are not alone in this season of life. Ask God to give you a community that feels the void and ask the Holy Spirit to fulfill every need and desire in your heart and life. He will!

Family Devo: 1 Corinthians 7 

By: Tina Bryant 

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset

Head

Do you ever feel like you want to change things about yourself? When I was a little girl, I always wanted to have red, curly hair and green eyes. And I wanted to change my name. But, God created me with slick, black, VERY straight hair and brown eyes. No matter what, even if I tried to dye my hair red, eventually my black hair would come back… because that’s how God made it.  

Heart

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:17, that each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has called them to. Sometimes that means our physical appearance. Sometimes that even means the family you were born into. Maybe you don’t always like your stinky, big brother, or your annoying little sister. Let’s back up to verse 15 and you will see God also called us to live in peace.

Hands

Being a follower of Christ isn’t always easy. Sometimes God asks us to do things that are hard, like living in peace with others or ourselves. We won’t get it right every time, but we CAN keep trying to do our best each day.  

Prayer: God, help me to see myself the way You see me. Help me to live in peace with others, even when I’m frustrated with those around me, and when I’m frustrated with my own circumstances, help me to see myself the way You see me. Amen.