1 Corinthians 7:1-2 Life Choices
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: February 14, 2020 1 Corinthians 7:1-2
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
(Understanding the Text) Evidently, the Corinthians had been asking questions about whether to get married or not, and what to do when you become a believer but your spouse is not. Paul gives some common sense guidelines here that sometimes we apply too stringently. Paul actually takes a more balanced approach. He starts out by saying that being married is good and being unmarried is good depending on your situation. He is not saying “Don’t marry” like the Catholic priests. He is saying that there are advantages to being unmarried, and it is good not to be married. He is saying that celibacy is good for a person. Many people would argue that it must be unhealthy to go all your life without having sex. Paul is saying that if you don’t have strong sexual desires overwhelming you, then being celibate is good. On the other hand, Paul acknowledges our human physical traits differ from person to person, so people with a strong sex drive should be married to one spouse, and have sex only with that one person. Basically, Paul’s big point here is that the Corinthians should not use the temple prostitutes. He is saying that there are two good choices: abstinence and marriage when it comes to sex. He says that they are both good choices and the one that a person chooses depends on that person’s physical and mental needs.
Paul acknowledges the sexuality of men and women equally. This is just one more place where Paul treats women well. It is one more piece of evidence against the idea that Paul was supporting women’s subservience in the problematic chapters.
(Revelation of God) God created sex, and it is a beautiful gift, but as with God’s other gifts, we have let it become corrupted so that it has become meaningless. God is about relationships, and He created sex to enhance the relationship between a husband and wife, but we have made sex into the end itself rather than having a relationship with one person being the goal. God is about balance and temperance while we sinful humans go to extremes making addictions out of perfectly healthy things, whether it is sex or food or even rest. We need to learn to be balanced from God.
(Application) My application for myself is that I should not feel that I need to be married. Even though I can without breaking any commandments, it does not mean that being married would be helpful in my life. In this hypersexualized society, we need to have reassurance that it is okay not to want to have sex. It is okay to live without a spouse or partner. It is okay to be alone.
(Prayer) Always be with me so that I am never alone. Help me to know that You are with me at all times.