Sunday, May 15 Each one has his own gift from God, one in this way, another in that way.​—1 Cor. 7:7.

[Áine]

Sunday, May 15

Each one has his own gift from God, one in this way, another in that way.—1 Cor. 7:7.

 

The apostle Paul encouraged Christians to consider whether they could serve Jehovah as single people. (1 Cor. 7:8, 9) Certainly Paul did not look down on single Christians. In fact, he chose young Timothy, a single brother, to care for weighty assignments. (Phil. 2:19-22) Obviously, then, it would be wrong to think that a brother is more qualified or less qualified based solely on whether he is married or not. (1 Cor. 7:32-35, 38) Neither Jesus nor Paul taught that Christians must marry or that they must remain single. What, then, can we say about marriage and singleness? The Watchtower of October 1, 2012, stated it nicely when it said: “Really, both [marriage and singleness] can be described as gifts from God. . . . Jehovah does not view [singleness] as a cause for shame or grief.” With this in mind, we need to respect the place of single brothers and sisters in the congregation. w20.08 28 ¶8-9