A Word to Singles
I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible. - (1 Corinthians 7:35)
Is it better to be single or to be married? There are actually advantages and disadvantages to both, but let me take a moment to address singles today.
When you are married, you make a commitment that is to be taken seriously. We are told in 1 Corinthians 7:32–33, “An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife.”
Paul is not saying it is a bad thing to be married. He is saying when you are married you have to think of someone besides yourself. A husband has to think about how to please his wife. A wife has to think about how to please her husband. That doesn’t mean you can’t still please the Lord. But it does mean that now you have limitations in your life that you did not have before.
When you are single, you are mobile. In many ways, you are free. That is good. Use your mobility for God’s glory. Use your extra time to serve and grow closer to Him.
What you don’t want to do is get into a relationship with a nonbeliever because you are impatient. We are told in 2 Corinthians 6:14–15, “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?”
Here is what happens when couples are not matched up spiritually. In most cases, the believer is not going to pull the nonbeliever up to faith; the nonbeliever is going to pull the believer down.
So, if you are a single Christian, wait on the Lord for the person He is going to bring to you. Start praying for them today. Pray for wisdom to discern the right person and the right moment.
James Dobson said it well: “Don’t marry the person you think you can live with. Marry only the individual you think you can’t live without.”
Copyright © 2016 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
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