<p>7:21 <em>Were you called while a slave? Do not worry, but if you can become free, do so</em>- Gk. 'use it'. Our marital status at the time of conversion is being spoken of as our calling, as what we were given, one of the talents given to us, in the language of the parable. This thought alone should make whatever situation we are in seem less of a burden; it's part of the gifts, the talents, we were given at baptism. It's for us to work with it. And the same applies, Paul reasons, if you were called to the Truth as a slave. Don't fret about it, it's one of those precious talents of the parable; although naturally in that context, &quot;if thou mayest be made free, <em>use it</em>&quot; (7:21 AV)- note the allusion to <em>using</em> the talents in the parable. We are inevitably tied down with the things of this life; but if we can be made free, to serve God directly, as usefully as possible, then surely we should seek to do this. Take early retirement. You can chose to remain at work, and of course, you can glorify God. But you can devote your life and free time to the work of the Gospel, and bring dozens to the knowledge of Christ who wouldn&rsquo;t otherwise have had it. I&rsquo;d say, and I interpret Paul to say likewise: &ldquo;If you may be made free, then use it rather&rdquo;.</p><p>We can imagine a group of believing women eagerly listening to Paul&rsquo;s latest letter being read out in the house church. They heard of how they had been bought with the price of Christ&rsquo;s blood, that now they were slaves of the Father and Son, that their bodies were truly not their own but <em>His</em>. And they would&rsquo;ve heard how Paul advised them not to be like other slaves, always dreaming of somehow getting free, but to be content with their situation in which they had been called, to live for the daily joy of being Christ&rsquo;s slave. They were no longer part of the &lsquo;household&rsquo; of their master.</p>