Daily Devotional for Tuesday, July 1

The Advantages of Staying Single

“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,” 1 Corinthians 7:32.

I have known a few people over the years who never married or remained unmarried after becoming a widow. I know the questions that these people get, such as if they are afraid of growing old and being alone. But I have heard some of them say that the Lord is their companion and that He never disappoints them. If it is not good for us to be alone, why then can some people seem to be so happy and fulfilled remaining single?

While God maid men and women for each other, there are still some advantages to staying single. The apostle Paul wrote, “I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I” (verse 8). Obviously, he did not think it was a bad thing for people to remain single, but rather that he thought it would be good if they could have the same fulfillment that he had being single. Whether a man or a woman, if they remain single, they have the advantage of having more time and energy for the things that pertain to the Lord. More one-on-one time with the Lord is a definite advantage.

REFLECTION

If you are able to commit to the Lord in this way and remain single, then “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

Tim Chambers