Daily Dose of Hope

February 2, 2026

Scripture: I Corinthians 7

Prayer: Dear Lord, After a hurried weekend, sometimes we rush into the week. Help us slow down and focus on you. Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and distractions. Help us have laser focus on you and your Word. Lord, in these next few moments of silence, we yearn to hear your still small voice...Come Holy Spirit and guide our reading, our interpretation, and our thoughts. In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are currently working our way through Paul's pastoral letters. We are currently in I Corinthians.

Today, our reading was I Corinthians 7. This whole discussion on marriage is interesting. Paul is not opposed to marriage but there is a certain tension in this chapter. He is genuinely concerned about those who marry and have families. There is the whole issue of not being totally and completely dedicated to God (because they are also dedicated to their spouse and children) but there is also a present distress that exists and may get worse.

At that time in Corinth, there was definite pressure being put on the Jews and increasing pressure on the new Christians. We know from reading history that intense persecution is on the horizon. Living in stable societies, rarely do we think much about the effect of persecution, warfare, and oppression on families. Paul was very right; those who were married with children would in fact suffer more. They would worry more about the safety and welfare of their children and it would be more difficult for them to pick up their lives and flee.

It was only fifteen years after Paul wrote this letter that Jerusalem was destroyed. What did the families do in such circumstances? I can't help but think about the fate of families in more recent conflicts-Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Nigeria, and Sudan. Spend some time in prayer for families across the globe who are dealing with warfare and persecution.

But there is another element in this chapter I want to try to address. Paul writes in v. 29-31, What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. There is definitely a sense that something is about to come to pass. Is Paul speaking about Jesus' second coming?

So, I did a little digging. It does appear that the event Paul is referring to is the coming of Christ. Bringing this up would have been incredible encouragement to the Corinthians. Because when Jesus comes the present form of this world will pass away and there will be a resurrection of believers. Think about it...if we thought that Jesus would return this week, and we knew that everything would change, that the Kingdom of God would become real and palpable and that all things would be made new, that would definitely change our perspective. The ordinary and familiar of Monday would feel totally different because we knew it was temporary. Paul is asking the Corinthians to think this way.

Of course, two thousand years later, we know that Jesus hasn't come and the world has not changed. But what would it be like for us to live with that perspective that Paul encourages? Maybe we don't worry so much about our present burdens and the everyday habits of life. Maybe we see everything through the lens of the coming Kingdom of God. What if we saw values, politics, relationships, and justice through the lens of the Kingdom? How would that change things for us?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki