Remaining in Place1 Corinthians 7:24
Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
Thoughts for Today:In Matthew 26:39, Jesus first prayed: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." Jesus remained obedient to the Cross: "Yet not as I will, but as you will." Are we too required by God to simply tough it out? To be content with living our lives in whatever situation God has placed us? Some people don't have a choice. But for those of us who do -- what should we do? Paul gives us the answer in our passage today: Unless the Lord very clearly calls us out of a situation, or demonstrates His will is something different than our 'default' position, then we are to remain in place.
Of course, it's easy to remain in place when things are running smoothly at work, in our communities, or with our spouses. The challenge comes when we actually face a crisis. Many of us assume that when we have problems it must be the Lord's signal for us to move on and get out of the situation we are in. In other words, we are to avoid a time of trouble by leaving. This aspect of "prosperity" teaching is common in a growing number of our churches today. As a result, many believers overlook the blessing of "trials" and are misled into thinking the Christian walk should be easy.
Every church should have a warning sign posted in front of it: "Beware! If you come into this body, and adopt this faith, then you're going to have trouble!" James 1:2-4 tells us the trials we encounter are for our benefit: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." For the work of perseverance to be completed we must remain in our current position -- even when it's difficult to do so. God has a plan, and more often than not, it involves using us in our present situation.
Questions to Ponder:What is your response to trials? Is it to run at the first sign of trouble? Psalms 37:1-4: "Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." I don't see anything there about leaving, do you? God is in control, do you trust Him? Will you remain in place?
Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
Thoughts for Today:In Matthew 26:39, Jesus first prayed: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." Jesus remained obedient to the Cross: "Yet not as I will, but as you will." Are we too required by God to simply tough it out? To be content with living our lives in whatever situation God has placed us? Some people don't have a choice. But for those of us who do -- what should we do? Paul gives us the answer in our passage today: Unless the Lord very clearly calls us out of a situation, or demonstrates His will is something different than our 'default' position, then we are to remain in place.
Of course, it's easy to remain in place when things are running smoothly at work, in our communities, or with our spouses. The challenge comes when we actually face a crisis. Many of us assume that when we have problems it must be the Lord's signal for us to move on and get out of the situation we are in. In other words, we are to avoid a time of trouble by leaving. This aspect of "prosperity" teaching is common in a growing number of our churches today. As a result, many believers overlook the blessing of "trials" and are misled into thinking the Christian walk should be easy.
Every church should have a warning sign posted in front of it: "Beware! If you come into this body, and adopt this faith, then you're going to have trouble!" James 1:2-4 tells us the trials we encounter are for our benefit: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." For the work of perseverance to be completed we must remain in our current position -- even when it's difficult to do so. God has a plan, and more often than not, it involves using us in our present situation.
Questions to Ponder:What is your response to trials? Is it to run at the first sign of trouble? Psalms 37:1-4: "Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." I don't see anything there about leaving, do you? God is in control, do you trust Him? Will you remain in place?
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