Put God First

"But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.".  1 Corinthians 7:33-35 (NIV)

Let's focus on the thought behind this passage, rather than its more difficult teaching about the advisability of marriage. Paul understood the tension a man or woman would face when they were married and had a family. The nature of the responsibility is such that a parent's attention is divided between the temporal family and God. That is a tension we all live with.

On the other hand, it is very clear that our first loyalty is to God, trusting Him to help us deal with all our other responsibilities. The key is to keep our focus on walking in God's will, and to model that devotion for the entire family.

We cannot shun our responsibilities as parents, but we can place our family in the correct position, behind God, in the hierarchy of our love and attention. God bless