1/17/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
I’m one of the people who has received accusations. “You people” (meaning Christians?? It isn’t clear) aren’t involved in caring for (fill in the blank) the same way “we enlightened people” are. Therefore you’re evil and want everything to go to ruin. This accusation is often accompanied by a diatribe about Christians being “so heavenly minded they are no earthly good.”
Sorry, but this isn’t the picture the apostle Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 7:29-31. The Christian, acutely aware of the reality of eternity, knows he doesn’t have much time on this planet. He also knows that his best efforts will have a limited effect. The world is passing away. That doesn’t mean that we pillage and plunder it. It means that we focus on what we can do, what is of highest priority, and that we consciously avoid thinking that our earthly existence is permanent.
Notice that the marriages, work relationships, sorrow, and joy in our earthly life are important, but that the apostle tells us to be ready to set them all aside. We are confronted, day by day, with eternity, a world we don’t currently experience as we will in the future.
The text, then, calls us to give attention to our priorities. We look not to our husband or wife, our employment situation, our personal enjoyment, or even our personal suffering. Those are not ultimate circumstances. They will pass away. What remains forever? God’s Word. So while we care for our families, while we care for our planet, while we do our best work at school, at the office, and in the community, we are looking forward to that which is eternal. We are so heavenly minded that we might just be some earthly good.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
I’m one of the people who has received accusations. “You people” (meaning Christians?? It isn’t clear) aren’t involved in caring for (fill in the blank) the same way “we enlightened people” are. Therefore you’re evil and want everything to go to ruin. This accusation is often accompanied by a diatribe about Christians being “so heavenly minded they are no earthly good.”
Sorry, but this isn’t the picture the apostle Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 7:29-31. The Christian, acutely aware of the reality of eternity, knows he doesn’t have much time on this planet. He also knows that his best efforts will have a limited effect. The world is passing away. That doesn’t mean that we pillage and plunder it. It means that we focus on what we can do, what is of highest priority, and that we consciously avoid thinking that our earthly existence is permanent.
Notice that the marriages, work relationships, sorrow, and joy in our earthly life are important, but that the apostle tells us to be ready to set them all aside. We are confronted, day by day, with eternity, a world we don’t currently experience as we will in the future.
The text, then, calls us to give attention to our priorities. We look not to our husband or wife, our employment situation, our personal enjoyment, or even our personal suffering. Those are not ultimate circumstances. They will pass away. What remains forever? God’s Word. So while we care for our families, while we care for our planet, while we do our best work at school, at the office, and in the community, we are looking forward to that which is eternal. We are so heavenly minded that we might just be some earthly good.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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