1Corinthians 7-8; Psalms 144 - Prayer Tents

Instruction on Marriage

7Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to live a celibate life.G1161G4012G3739G1125G3427G2570G444G3361G680G1135 2But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.G1223G1161G4202G2192G1538G2192G1438G1135G2532G2192G1538G2192G2398G435 3The husband should fulfill his wife's sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband's needs.G591G435G591G1135G3784G2133G1161G3668G2532G1135G435 4The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.G1135G1850G3756G1850G2398G4983G235G435G1161G3668G2532G435G1850G3756G1850G2398G4983G235G1135 5Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won't be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.G650G3361G240G1509G302G5100G1537G4859G4314G2540G2443G4980G3521G2532G4335G2532G4905G1909G846G3825G3363G4567G3985G5209G3363G1223G5216G192 6I say this as a concession, not as a command.G1161G3004G5124G2596G4774G3756G2596G2003 7But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. But God gives to some the gift of marriage, and to others the gift of singleness.G1063G2309G3956G444G1511G2532G5613G1683G235G1538G2192G2398G5486G1537G2316G3739G3303G3779G1161G3739G3779 8So I say to those who aren't married and to widows—it's better to stay unmarried, just as I am.G3004G1161G22G2532G5503G2076G2570G846G1437G3306G2504G5613G2504 9But if they can't control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It's better to marry than to burn with lust.G1161G1487G1467G3756G1467G1060G1063G2076G2909G1060G2228G4448 10But 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.G1161G1060G3853G3756G1473G235G2962G5563G3361G1135G5563G575G435 11But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.G1161G2532G1437G5563G3306G22G2228G2644G435G2532G863G3361G435G863G1135 12Now, 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.G1161G3062G3004G1473G3756G2962G1536G80G2192G1135G571G2532G846G4909G3611G3326G846G863G3361G863G846G863 13And 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.G2532G1135G3748G2192G435G571G2532G846G4909G3611G3326G846G863G3361G863G846 14For 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.G1063G571G435G37G1722G1135G2532G571G1135G37G1722G435G686G1893G2076G5216G5043G169G1161G3568G2076G40 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.)G1161G1487G571G5563G5563G80G2228G79G1402G3756G1402G1722G5108G1161G2316G2564G2248G1722G1515 16Don'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?G1063G5101G1492G1135G1487G4982G435G2228G5101G1492G435G1487G4982G1135 17Each 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.G1508G5613G2316G3307G1538G5613G2962G2564G1538G3779G4043G2532G3779G1299G1722G3956G1577 18For 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.G2564G5100G2564G4059G1986G3361G1986G2564G5100G2564G1722G203G4059G3361G4059 19For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God's commandments.G4061G2076G3762G2532G203G2076G3762G235G5084G1785G2316 20Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you.G3306G1538G3306G1722G5026G2821G1722G3739G2564 21Are you a slave? Don't let that worry you—but if you get a chance to be free, take it.G2564G1401G3199G4671G3361G3199G235G1499G1410G1096G1658G5530G3123 22And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.G1063G2564G1722G2962G1401G2076G2962G558G3668G2532G2564G1658G2076G5547G1401 23God paid a high price for you, so don't be enslaved by the world.G59G5092G1096G3361G1096G1401G444 24Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.G80G3306G1538G1722G3739G2564G1722G5129G3306G3844G2316 25Now regarding your question about the young women who are not yet married. I do not have a command from the Lord for them. But the Lord in his mercy has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you.G1161G4012G3933G2192G3756G2003G2962G1161G1325G1106G5613G1653G5259G2962G1511G4103 26Because of the present crisis, I think it is best to remain as you are.G3543G3767G5124G5225G2570G1223G1764G318G3754G2570G444G3779G1511 27If you have a wife, do not seek to end the marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not seek to get married.G1210G1135G2212G3361G3080G3089G575G1135G2212G3361G1135 28But if you do get married, it is not a sin. And if a young woman gets married, it is not a sin. However, those who get married at this time will have troubles, and I am trying to spare you those problems.G1161G2532G1437G1060G264G3756G264G2532G1437G3933G1060G264G3756G264G1161G5108G2192G2347G4561G1161G1473G5339G5216 29But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage.G1161G5124G5346G80G2540G4958G2076G3063G2443G2532G2192G1135G5600G5613G2192G3361 30Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions.G2532G2799G5613G2799G3361G2532G5463G5613G5463G3361G2532G59G5613G2722G3361 31Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.G2532G5530G5127G2889G5613G3361G2710G1063G4976G5129G2889G3855 32I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord's work and thinking how to please him.G1161G1511G2309G5209G275G22G3309G3588G2962G4459G700G2962 33But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife.G1161G1060G3309G3588G2889G4459G700G1135 34His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband.G3307G1135G2532G3933G22G3309G3588G2962G2443G5600G40G2532G4983G2532G4151G1161G1060G3309G3588G2889G4459G700G435 35I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.G1161G5124G3004G4314G5216G846G4851G3756G2443G1911G1029G5213G235G4314G2158G2532G2145G2962G563 36But if a man thinks that he's treating his fiancee improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin.G1161G1536G3543G807G1909G846G3933G1437G5230G5600G2532G3784G3779G1096G4160G3739G2309G264G3756G1060 37But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry.G1161G3739G2476G1476G1722G2588G2192G3361G318G1161G2192G1849G4012G2398G2307G2532G2919G5124G2919G1722G846G2588G5083G1438G3933G4160G2573 38So the person who marries his fiancee does well, and the person who doesn't marry does even better.G5620G2532G1547G4160G2573G1161G1547G3361G1547G4160G2908 39A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord.G1135G1210G3551G1909G5550G3745G846G435G2198G1161G1437G846G435G2837G2076G1658G1060G3739G2309G3440G1722G2962 40But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God's Spirit when I say this.G1161G2076G3107G1437G3306G3779G3306G2596G1699G1106G1161G1380G2504G2192G4151G2316

Food Sacrificed to Idols

8Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that "we all have knowledge" about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.G1161G4012G1494G1492G3754G3956G2192G1108G1108G5448G1161G26G3618 2Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much.G1161G1536G1380G1492G5100G1097G3762G3764G2531G1163G1097 3But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.G1161G1536G25G2316G3778G1097G5259G846 4So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God.G4012G3767G1035G1494G1492G3754G1497G3762G1722G2889G2532G3754G3762G2087G2316G1508G1520 5There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords.G1063G1512G2532G1526G3004G2316G1535G1722G3772G1535G1909G1093G5618G1526G2316G4183G2532G2962G4183 6But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.G235G2254G1520G2316G3962G1537G3739G3956G2532G2249G1519G846G2532G1520G2962G2424G5547G1223G3739G3956G2532G2249G1223G846 7However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated.G235G3756G1722G3956G1108G1161G5100G4893G1497G2193G737G2068G5613G1494G2532G846G4893G5607G772G3435 8It's true that we can't win God's approval by what we eat. We don't lose anything if we don't eat it, and we don't gain anything if we do.G1161G1033G3936G2248G3756G2316G1063G3777G1437G5315G4052G3777G3362G5315G3362G5302 9But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.G1161G991G3381G4458G3778G1849G5216G1096G4348G770 10For if others see you—with your "superior knowledge"—eating in the temple of an idol, won't they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol?G1063G1437G5100G1492G4571G3588G2192G1108G2621G1722G1493G3618G3780G4893G846G5607G772G3618G1519G2068G1494 11So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed.G2532G1909G4674G1108G622G770G80G622G1223G3739G5547G599 12And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ.G1161G264G3779G1519G80G2532G5180G846G770G4893G264G1519G5547 13So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don't want to cause another believer to stumble.G1355G1487G1033G4624G3450G80G4624G5315G3364G2907G1519G165G3363G4624G3450G80G4624

144[A psalm of David.] Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.H1732H1288H3068H6697H3925H3027H7128H676H4421 2He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. He makes the nations submit to me.H2617H4686H4869H6403H4043H2620H7286H5971 3O Lord, what are human beings that you should notice them, mere mortals that you should think about them?H3068H120H3045H1121H582H2803 4For they are like a breath of air; their days are like a passing shadow.H120H1819H1892H3117H6738H5674 5Open the heavens, Lord, and come down. Touch the mountains so they billow smoke.H5186H8064H3068H3381H5060H2022H6225 6Hurl your lightning bolts and scatter your enemies! Shoot your arrows and confuse them!H1299H1300H6327H7971H2671H2000 7Reach down from heaven and rescue me; rescue me from deep waters, from the power of my enemies.H7971H3027H4791H6475H5337H7227H4325H3027H5236H1121 8Their mouths are full of lies; they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.H6310H1696H7723H3225H3225H8267 9I will sing a new song to you, O God! I will sing your praises with a ten-stringed harp.H7891H2319H7892H430H5035H6218H2167 10For you grant victory to kings! You rescued your servant David from the fatal sword.H5414H8668H4428H6475H1732H5650H7451H2719 11Save me! Rescue me from the power of my enemies. Their mouths are full of lies; they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.H6475H5337H3027H5236H1121H6310H1696H7723H3225H3225H8267 12May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.H1121H5195H1431H5271H1323H2106H2404H8403H1964 13May our barns be filled with crops of every kind. May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands, even tens of thousands,H4200H4392H6329H2177H2177H6629H503H7231H2351 14and may our oxen be loaded down with produce. May there be no enemy breaking through our walls, no going into captivity, no cries of alarm in our town squares.H441H5445H6556H3318H6682H7339 15Yes, joyful are those who live like this! Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.H835H5971H3602H835H5971H430H3068