Exploring the Text: Getting our priorities right
This is one of the more challenging passages that Paul writes. He tells his readers not to mourn, not to rejoice, and to ignore their spouse, and to not engage in business This doesn't seem to make any sense and is completely impractical. It doesn't seem to fit with what Jesus says or anything else that Paul says. So what is Paul talking about?
Paul is talking about priorities. He is saying that we should not let the common things of this world distract us from what is eternally important. It is perfectly okay to mourn or rejoice. It is important to value our spouse. We have to engage in business with the world, but we should not let any of these things become more important that our relationship with God. After all, we don't know how much time we have left. We don't know when our last day on earth will be. We need to make sure that our priorities are in the correct order and that we are putting God and what he wants above all else.
David W. Dalton
This is one of the more challenging passages that Paul writes. He tells his readers not to mourn, not to rejoice, and to ignore their spouse, and to not engage in business This doesn't seem to make any sense and is completely impractical. It doesn't seem to fit with what Jesus says or anything else that Paul says. So what is Paul talking about?
Paul is talking about priorities. He is saying that we should not let the common things of this world distract us from what is eternally important. It is perfectly okay to mourn or rejoice. It is important to value our spouse. We have to engage in business with the world, but we should not let any of these things become more important that our relationship with God. After all, we don't know how much time we have left. We don't know when our last day on earth will be. We need to make sure that our priorities are in the correct order and that we are putting God and what he wants above all else.
David W. Dalton