Stay

We are making our way through a letter Paul wrote to Jesus followers in Corinth. Today, Paul provides some patient advice regarding a really important decision.


1 Corinthians 7
8 So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows - it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. 9 But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust. 10 But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. 11 But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife. 12 Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a Christian man has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. 13 And if a Christian woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. 14 For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. 15 (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the Christian husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) 16 Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?


Stay. The prevailing theme that Paul presents in all these scenarios is to stay. Some times we are so anxious to move onto the next chapter of life (jumping into a marriage or running away from a marriage) that we don’t let God finish the current chapter ... and we miss out on what could have been a much better ending. On one hand, you may be rescued from a relationship that would cause years of trouble. On the other hand, you may see the Holy Spirit miraculously change your spouse and your relationship. If you have any reservations at all ... stay ... let God finish what he is writing in your life.