Reflections on Marriage and Singleness 1 Corinthians 7:17-40 “Marriage expectations are changing among Generation Z and millennials, with two in five people surveyed stating they believe marriage is an outdated tradition...While the traditional ideas surrounding marriage may be shifting, 83 percent of participants said they would like to get married at some point. Though, 85 percent also reported that they don’t feel marriage is needed to “have a fulfilling and committed relationship. Over one in six said they do not plan on getting married, with 17 percent of millennials and 7 percent of Gen Z feeling this way, according to the poll.” Thriving Center of Psychology, July 20, 2023. "This imagery, of course, must be understood in light of Greco-Roman slavery, not that of recent American history. Slavery was in fact the bottom rung on the social order, but for the most part it provided generally well for up to one-third of the population in a city like Corinth or Rome. The slave had considerable freedom and very often experienced mutual benefit along with the master. The owner received the benefit of the slave’s services; and the slave had steady ’employment,’ including having all his or her basic needs met-indeed, for many to be a slave was preferable to being a freedman, whose securities were often tenuous at best. But the one thing that marked the slave was that in the final analysis, he did not belong to himself but to another. That is Paul’s point with this imagery." Gordon Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, p. 319. Picture Closing Reflections: 1. Whether married or single our aim should be to live undistractedly committed to the Lord. “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13 2. Whether married or single we are to live with an attitude of detachment from the world by realizing this world is passing away. 3. Whether married or single realize that we have ALL that we need to faithfully serve the Lord. 4. If you plan to get married realize that there is no such thing as a utopian marriage. Let this soak in. Marriage will have its challenges too. 5.If you’re married and find it difficult to endure at times, refuse to daydream about escaping, but rather seek to rekindle the flames of love.