impinged

₁₅But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. ₁₆How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

₁₇Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.
I Corinthians 7:15-17 NIV

I love the end of verse 15 where it says “God has called us to live in peace.” Wow, what does that mean? I admit, this chapter has a ton of controversial content that can be misinterpreted and misapplied. As is often the case with Paul, he is giving a clear examples of real world issues the church of Corinth was dealing with. Underlying these issues is a deep and profound truth. Because it is 2000 years later, we are at a disadvantage in that we need to spend the time unwrapping these truths.

In a nutshell, this is what I believe Paul is saying: God has placed you in whatever situation or circumstance you are in for a reason. In this he has called you to live in peace. We are not to be a part of the “If only” or “Grass is Greener” crowd. If only my husband was a believer; if only I could find a better church; if only I lived somewhere else; if only I came from a better family. God has placed you where you are for a reason and that reason is to serve Him.

This truth started to hit home with me and I started to examine my circumstances. I started asking God why I do the work I do? Why do I live in the apartment complex that I live in? Why do I go to the church I go to? If I’m supposed to serve him then why has he put me where I am and what am I supposed to be doing here? I think I’ve come up with some of the answers. Here is one of them:

I live in an apartment complex with maybe 50 apartments. As I asked the question why God may have brought me here it occurred to me that there are lost souls living on the other side of the wall. There are lost souls living 3 doors down. There are lost souls all over this place. What if I looked at my apartment not as just a place to live but a mission field in which I’ve been called to share the gospel? Then I got scared. Real scared. Does this mean I have to be like a Jehovah’s witness and go door to door? Do I have to act like a nut job with signs screaming “Repent” out in the parking lot? No, I don’t think so. For me I think it means two things. One is being aware of how I live. Smiling at the neighbors. Saying hi. Being conscious of how my actions effect my neighbors. The other thing I’m considering is starting a small group Bible study for the residents here. This fall I plan to go around and invite everyone to come to a Bible study in my apartment. I’m not sure how it will go and it will certainly be a step way outside my comfort zone, but I really feel this is calling God has placed on my life. Jesus didn’t say to sit and wait until he comes again - he said to go and share the gospel with all nations… that includes my nation, where I live, my apartment building, my neighbors.