1 Corinthians 7:25 Now concerning virgins, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 I think that, in view of the impending crisis, it is well for you to remain as you are. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a virgin marries, she does not sin. Yet those who marry will experience distress in this life, and I would spare you that. 29 I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. 

I’m particularly interested in v.29 above “… the appointed time has grown short”. In other words Paul offers advice about relationships between men and women, but it’s not something to be too concerned about. Why? Because Jesus is coming any day. In fact, it could be today or tomorrow, but surely it won’t be long. Well, 2,000 later we are still waiting.

There was an urgency in Paul’s day that I often lack. I know for a fact there are thousands and thousands of people who live within minutes of my church or my home who are struggling in various ways. They need community. They need encouragement. They need peace. They need Jesus. I wonder how I might live differently if I, like Paul, believed that Jesus is coming any moment. That time is short. That eternity is at stake.