1 Cor 7:29-31, 35 “29 But this I say, brothers, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; 30 and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; 31 and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the present form of this world is passing away.35 I say this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.”
The time is short. Make the best of what is available. Have a undistracted devotion to the Lord.
2 Cor 11:2-3 “2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
1 Cor 9:24-27 “24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way as not to run aimlessly; I box in such a way, as to avoid hitting air; but I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
Paul strictly disciplined his body, to the point that he treated it like a slave. He did not let himself be controlled by his desires and whims.
2 Cor 10:1-5 “1 Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! 2 I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I intend to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
We recently heard about wielding the ‘sword’ – the authority that God have given us. Here we see how Paul wields it. He speaks to them ‘by the meekness and gentleness of Christ’. God has been showing me lately that I also need to hold authority by the same spirit.
John 17:2 2 just as You gave Him authority over all mankind, so that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.
We read here about Jesus having authority over all mankind. And, the authority he had was to give eternal life. Similarly, the authority that God give us (as parents, husbands, elders, etc), is only to help share the eternal life that we have received.
So, we need to be careful how we speak to those under our authority. Because, I believe, a submission without humility is not true submission; it is a forced submission. So, we must not be forcing out authority on anyone. Instead, we must lead them to be able to submit with true humility. Any other type of authority is not the authority received from God.
Romans 6:5-7 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for the one who has died is freed from sin.
Romans 6:12-14 “12 Therefore sin is not to reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the parts of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your body’s parts as instruments of righteousness for God.14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the Law but under grace.
Romans 6:17-19 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18 and after being freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented the parts of your body as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your body’s parts as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
1 John 2:15-17 15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever.
Praise God.
