The Calling of Walking Alone

I Corinthians 7:
32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35 And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.


Pastor Allen's commentary on this passage:

The message of our culture is: Marriage and/or sexuality are absolutely necessary for a fulfilled life. (But see verse 32).

Focus on the eternal; hold the here and now lightly. (See verse 33)

An unmarried man is free to pursue the things of the Lord. (See verse 33)

A married man is anxious, devoted to worldly things; he serves Jesus through serving his wife and children. (Also in verse 33).

Allen spent a year caring for children and going to school at night while Huntley worked days to support family; he gained an appreciation for the challenge of the married woman, as expressed in verse 34.

Perhaps one of the most insightful things Pastor Allen talked about is that this status may change within one's lifetime. We should be sensitive to the needs of brothers and sisters who are going through a change in the calling they had become accustomed to. We need to be their family during such stressful adjustments.