It is good for a man not to marry

Before you jump to the conclusion that Meredith and I are having trouble, read on ...

Now for the matters you wrote about: it is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourself to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift another has that.
1 Corinthians 7:1-7

What does Paul mean here? He says it's a concession not a command, and that he wishes all men were like him? What was he like? Well, he was unmarried. He did not want anything to distract him from his relationship with God, and devoting his life to Christ alone. He wanted as much of his time on Earth devoted to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul had a gift. That gift was a lack of sexual temptation. And he said that if you have that same gift, the ideal is to devote your life fully to God, not letting yourself be distracted buy a spouse.

That sounds like a negative perspective. But let's unpack that.

I can't imagine a life without Meredith. And I don't want a life without her. But she is a distraction, as I am a distraction for her. I spend much of my married life worried about what she thinks or how she feels about things. I think about what I could do to please her, to love her, to support her. This is absolutely time not pointed at God. Is it bad? Absolutely not. But it's not ideal.

We were placed here on this Earth for this time, for His glory, to please Him. We should be undistracted by good or bad things as much as possible. We should be constantly looking up to Him and seeking to understand what would glorify Him.

Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: it is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
1 Corinthians 7:8-9

Burning with passion, just like burning with any emotion (think: anger), leads to bad things. Self-control is paramount. And if we cannot self-control, then we marry to create a commitment that provides the necessary control.

I need Meredith. No doubt. But what I need most of all is my Heavenly Father, my Saviour, and my Counselor.

May everything I do, from the profound to the mundane, be for His glory and His glory alone. He is worthy.