The OneSample

Prayer: Father, I pray that You would help me to better understand the season that I am in and how I can use it for Your glory. I pray You would continue to show me what it looks like to glorify You through relationships.

Singleness with a Purpose

For many of us, we view singleness in two ways. First, we may use singleness to idolize self-satisfaction as the ultimate good. We see the freedom singleness provides and use it for our own purposes. Culture tells us that getting married is what “ties us down,” and singleness is where a truly joyful life will be found. On the other hand, we may use singleness to idolize marriage as the future solution to our needs. We see marriage as the start of our life - where there is constant joy and zero problems. The reality is that both of these beliefs are false. People idolize independence and the “yolo life” and this is why we see more children being born before marriage. And then there are other people who idolize the idea of marriage and have extremely high expectations that they have held on to. This is a factor in why we continuously see divorce rates going up in our country. 

Marriage is good, but singleness is also GOOD. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that marriage creates distractions. Once we are married, our interests are divided because marriage comes with responsibility. God has designed specific roles and purposes for husbands and wives, and let’s just say it isn’t an easy 1-2-3 checklist. Marriage takes work. This is why Paul goes on to say that singleness gives us freedom to set our focus on God and serve Him and His people. Your season of singleness before marriage has the potential to be a unique time of undivided devotion to the Lord and undistracted ministry. With God’s spirit, He has given you the means to make a lasting impact for His kingdom. The question is, will you take those opportunities? Will you say yes to time-consuming things for God? Will you avoid distractions and pursue the people God has placed in your life? If God leads you to marriage, you may not have a season like this ever again. So whatever season you are in, use it to point others to Christ. That is the point of God’s story and the mission He gives us. 

Look in the Word:

• Looking at 1 Corinthians 7:32-35, what are some of the anxieties Paul might be referring to? 
• What does an “undivided devotion to the Lord" look like?

What’s Next? 

• Take some time to analyze your life; how you spend your time and money, who you hang out with, what you think about..etc. Take some time to confess how you may not be using the season you’re in to bring glory to the Lord.  
• Ask God to show you where you can take advantage of the time you have to serve Him.