“Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches. For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now. For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.”
1 Corinthians 7:17-19 NLT
In the context of marriage, even between an unbeliever and a believer, Paul’s advice was that this should not change, even if there were spiritual advantages in doing so. He also used the example of circumcision, a topical subject in those days because there were some Jewish converts who thought that it was a good thing for new believers to do. Again, Paul’s advice was to leave things as they were at the point of conversion, with both circumcised and uncircumcised men remaining unchanged (I’m not sure how the circumcised could affect a reversal, but there we are). Paul was clear that the “important thing” was “to keep God’s commandments”. There is a human tendency that demands an alternative, less painful way when under pressure to make changes in our lives. So we look for a scapegoat if things go wrong in the office. We look for an alternative spiritual focus when the Holy Spirit reveals something within us that needs to change. And so it seems this was the situation in Corinth, where Paul had to suggest to the believers there that they should stop thrashing around looking for a new or better spiritual way when all that was needed was for them to get down to the coalface of their lives, and deal with their sin. Paul wrote something similar to the Ephesian church. “So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbours the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good, hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:25-29). These things were all associated with God’s commandments, and the important thing was to keep them.
In our churches today, there are outward things that can distract and divert our attention away from the true and narrow way. In years past, there was a tendency among the female members of the congregation to try to outdo one another with their dresses and hats. With the quality of the cakes baked for the church fete, or with a similar domestic creation. The men would also tell their tales of fishing or golfing, all in a way that introduced a hierarchy in the social order. Back in our churches, the flower arrangements became increasingly amazing, and the brass work on the font or pulpit had to be polished to the brightest possible standard. In relation to the liturgies, certain unliked or boring hymns, or their tunes, sometimes became distractions, as did the quality of the minister’s singing voice, or the poor state of repair of the hassock used for kneeling in the prayer times. Closer to today, think about the difficulties in introducing a new song or making a change to the seating layout in the hall. But in it all, a good pastor will help the congregation focus on the “important things” and not become distracted by the unimportant matters that can so easily impact or degrade church life. As an aside, in one church I attended, the pastor became very frustrated by the intransigence of a small group of people who insisted in populating the back row of the seating arrangement, so one day, before he started preaching, he asked the congregation to stand, at which point he lifted the pulpit and carried it to the rear of the church, whereupon he then asked the congregation to be reseated by turning their chairs round. So the back row became the front row, and the congregants there received the benefit of his sermon without distractions.
In God, all believers are new creations. Think about it. We were born physically, just as Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:6, but we are also born again through the Holy Spirit. “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life”. We may still be human beings, physical marvels of God’s creation, but we are also spiritual beings, reborn in a mystery of creation that we will not fully comprehend until we reach Heaven. The problem is that we allow our physical beings to dominate our spiritual lives. So physical tiredness will stop us from praying or reading our Bibles. A busy diary will perhaps cause us to miss a few meetings. But it shouldn’t be that way. Sadly, our sinful natures get in the way of how we should really live our Christian lives. Paul wrote to the Galatians and said, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions” (Galatians 5:16-17).
For us pilgrims, the “important thing” is to live God’s way by us putting ” … on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). There is no other way because when we leave this life, our sinful natures will be left behind, and it will be our spirits that will be found in Heaven. The next time we become distracted like Martha did in the Luke 10 Gospel account, we must remember what the “important thing” is. It’s all about Jesus, folks, and we mustn’t ever forget that.
Dear Lord Jesus. In all our distractions, we remember the One who has done so much for us. We worship and praise You today with deeply thankful hearts. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 