I have to say, right off the bat, I love this passage. It is a reminder to us as Christians that God's heart is not for us to have all knowledge, but to LOVE.

The issue of contention in this passage is whether eating food previously offered to idols is sin or not. Paul makes it clear that it isn't a sin. Idols are nothing, therefore food offered to them isn't tainted (vs. 4).

In verses 7-8 Paul explains that eating or not eating these foods doesn't change our status in God's eyes. "For neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse" (vs. 8). This brought up an interesting thought in my mind, which may prove to be contentious in and of itself: Boycotting products.

I have had several people tell me, "I won't buy Starbucks because they don't support our President," (when Bush was in office), or "I won't buy this or that," because the company supports gay rights, or is pro-choice or aligns themselves with some other non-Christian ideology. I personally won't shop at Abercrombie and Fitch because their catalogs and ads are pornographic. However, if I did, I don't believe it would make a difference in God's eyes. The clothes, in and of themselves, are just clothes. I simply don't want my money going to a company I don't support. My point here is, we must be careful not to judge those people who choose, or don't choose, to "boycott" a company, product, etc. I can't look at a Christian brother or sister who wears and Abercrombie and Fitch shirt, and think to myself, "Wow, that person is so worldly. If only they were as goldy as me." They have liberty in that area, so they, with a pure conscience, can wear those clothes. For me, it would be sin, because the Bible says,


It is easy to build a conviction, and have expectations that everyone else should follow the same conviction. It's a tough area, and we must be careful not to push our convictions on other believers, if the Word has not expressly spoken one way or another to whether we have liberty in that area or not. On a similar note, believers should also be careful to not put themselves under bondage, when Christ has made us free. But, for the sake of a weaker believer, may we all choose to build up one another in love, rather than flaunt our liberties and cause another to stumble.

1 Corinthians 7 is a great chapter, all about marriage and how to serve the Lord in and out of relationships. It also makes it clear that it is NOT a sin to marry (vs. 28), so for all of those Catholic priests who have fallen into sexual sin, that should be a consideration.

Paul first encourages us to be content in our current state, whether married or single. Don't seek to change the present circumstance of where God has you. But, either way, the time is short, as he says in verse 29. Our days are numbered, Christ is coming soon, so whether we are married or single, we should serve the Lord with everything we have! We need to use our time wisely, making the most of every moment.

This idea really struck me, especially as I read the following verses, 32-35:

"But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord--how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world--how he may please [his] wife. There is 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. And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction."

As a wife and mother (especially as a mother), I can see how differently my time is used compared to when I was single, and it is definitely tougher to do the things I want to do. My involvement in ministry has slowed down quite a bit. But, I still need to serve the Lord without distraction. I believe the lesson here is that no matter where we are in life - in school, at work, at home with kids, on the mission field, married or single - we need to do everything for the glory of God. I HATE doing the dishes, but I can do them with worship in my heart to the Lord, cheerfully, pleasing Him. We can make every moment of everyday a moment in which we do something eternal. We don't have to have constant excitement, huge rallies, conferences and crusades to glorify the Lord. Sometimes the hardest time to glorify Him is in the simplest moments of life, when we are faced with the choice of doing something with a cheerful spirit, or doing it just to get it done. Mary had chosen the better part as she sat at the feet of Jesus. Sometimes the intangibles are more important and precious to the Lord than the tangibles.