1 Corinthians 7:32-40: a reflection

32But I desire to have you to be free from cares. He who is unmarried is concerned for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; 33but he who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife. 34There is also a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. 35This I say for your own benefit, not that I may ensnare you, but for that which is appropriate, and that you may attend to the Lord without distraction. 36But if any man thinks that he is behaving inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of her age, and if need so requires, let him do what he desires. He doesn’t sin. Let them marry. 37But he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no urgency, but has power over his own will, and has determined in his own heart to keep his own virgin, does well. 38So then both he who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and he who doesn’t give her in marriage does better. 39A wife is bound by law for as long as her husband lives; but if the husband is dead, she is free to be married to whomever she desires, only in the Lord. 40But she is happier if she stays as she is, in my judgment, and I think that I also have God’s Spirit.

Paul, writing about singleness and marriage, has a deeper concern than either: undivided devotion to the Lord. He commends singleness for some because it can allow an undistracted attention to the Lord, the single person free to be concerned with the things of the Lord, how to please him. He is careful to say this is not to restrict anyone, but for their benefit, that they may attend to the Lord without distraction. His aim, whatever a person's state, is that their devotion to the Lord not be needlessly divided.

Notice Paul's underlying goal: undivided, undistracted devotion to the Lord. He is not disparaging marriage, which he honors, but pointing to something we all need to guard: a heart's attention to God that is not fragmented and pulled apart by competing concerns. The danger he addresses is not marriage itself but distraction, anything that divides our devotion and pulls our attention from the Lord.

That concern applies to all of us, whatever our circumstances. Our devotion to the Lord is easily divided, pulled in many directions by legitimate concerns and competing loves, until our attention to him is fragmented and distracted. Paul's desire, for the Corinthians and for us, is undistracted devotion, a heart attentive to the Lord above all. Whatever your state in life, examine what divides your devotion, what pulls your attention from the Lord, and seek to guard an undistracted heart for him. The aim is not a particular status but an undivided devotion; attend to the Lord, above all your other concerns, without needless distraction.

Lord, Paul's deep concern, beneath all he said about singleness and marriage, was that your people might attend to you without distraction, with undivided devotion. Give me that undistracted heart. My devotion to you is easily divided, pulled in many directions by competing concerns and loves, until my attention to you is fragmented. Show me what divides my devotion, what pulls my attention from you, and help me guard an undistracted heart for you above all. Whatever my circumstances, let my deepest concern be for you, and keep my devotion from being needlessly divided. Help me attend to you, above all else, with an undivided heart.