May 09, 2008
Today's Passage: 1 Cor. 7:17-24
My name is Martha Ryan. I have been married to Pat for 16 years! We have two girls. Becca is 13, and Rachel is 10. I work part-time as a counselor at Nikao Counseling Center, and I work full-time as a domestic engineer. This involves cooking, laundry, and chauffeuring services for my family.
I love to hang out at the lake with my family. Actually, I love being around any body of water – lakes, oceans, or pools. I also enjoy exercising (especially spin classes) and working on photo albums of my family.
Key Verse:
In whatever situation someone was called, brothers and sisters, let him remain in it with God. (1 Corinthians 7:24)
Central Truth:
Be content where God has called you, and live your life in obedience to Him. God has placed you there. Look for opportunities to serve Him there and be a light to others.
HAPPINESS VS. HOLINESS
Contentment. That's what this passage is screaming to me, and contentment is not one of my strengths. Paul says three times to stay put. Paul addresses marriage and divorce and then encourages followers of Christ to stay within their marriage commitment even if they were not followers of Christ before they married.
People tend to think they need to get out of a marriage if they are a follower of Christ, but their spouse is not. When I worked with Young Life, an outreach program for high school kid, one of the girls in my group had a mom who was a strong follower of Christ. Her husband was not. It was so exciting to watch this woman love her husband and live out her faith in front of him. She modeled a Christ-centered life for her husband, and she was a great example to me.
My tendency is to think that the grass is greener on the other side, whether it is my neighborhood, home, job, financial situation, or body image. The list goes on and on with areas in my life that cause me to be discontent. But God's Word tells me that holiness is His goal for my life, not happiness. It is important for me to focus on what God is teaching me through situations rather than just try to change the situations to make me more comfortable or happy. At times, it is hard to remember that God can use me where I am. The issue is whether I am willing to be used where I am.
Sometimes, we try to change things in our lives that God doesn't want changed, whether it is a job, spouse, bigger house, or more money. But the changes God wants in our lives are not so much about circumstances, but about our character. He wants us to focus on Him, knowing Him and pleasing Him, and He will change our desires and make them like His.
Discussion Questions:
1. In what areas of your life do you struggle with discontentment?
2. As you look at where God has you – marriage, job, home, neighborhood, school – how are you serving Christ and letting others see that you are different and living for Christ?
3. What character qualities is God working to strengthen and grow in you through your struggles?
Points Of Interest:
Verse 20: Grk "in the calling." "Calling" in Paul is God's work of drawing people to faith in Christ. As in 1:26, calling here stands by metonymy for a person's circumstances when he becomes a Christian.