Recently, I read this wonderful quote: “Don't settle for the one you can live with, wait for the one you can't live without.” The message seems so simple and obvious, but recently I have had various friends get engaged, and there seems to be a cloud looming above me to jump on the bandwagon and settle down. I was listening to an Austin Stone sermon from 2/8/09 about being single, and I have decided to try to embrace my independence and let God’s will be done in His time. After all, as Matt points out, singleness can be a blessing, although our culture treats it more like a disease.
In 1 Corinthians 7:7-9, Paul writes, “But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. But God gives to some of us the gift of marriage and to others the gift of singleness. So I say to those who aren’t married to widows – it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.” Although Paul’s purpose is not to tell people that marriage is a bad thing, he illustrates that being without a partner does not mean that you have to be alone, as we are always with Christ.
The Bible mentions two main blessings of singleness, the first being that it gives us the opportunity to offer undivided, undistracted devotion to the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 7:32-35, Paul writes the following: “I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. 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. His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. 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.”
The second blessing that accompanies singleness is that it offers a blessing that, according to God’s word, is eternally better than the earthly blessing of children. In Isaiah 56:1-5, it is written that the Lord said to “Be just and fair to all, do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you and to display my righteousness among you. Blessed are all those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest and keep themselves from doing wrong. Don’t let foreigners (us) who commit themselves to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will never let me part of His people.’ And don’t let the eunuchs (those who chose to remain single) say, ‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’ For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bless those eunuchs who keep my Sabbath days holy and who choose to do what pleases me and commit their lives to me. I will give them –within the walls of my house – a memorial and a name far greater than sons and daughters could give, for the name I give them is an everlasting one. It will never disappear!” This promise from the Lord is very significant, as carrying on the family name by having offspring was a big deal during this time. For example, in 1 Samuel 24:21, Saul asks King David to “Swear to me that by the Lord that when that happens you will not kill my family and destroy my line of descendants!”
Although I may continue to daydream about my perfect wedding, this sermon really helped me to realize that I need to wholeheartedly accept that God has a wonderful future in store for me (Jeremiah 29:11), and that my singleness is a part of His master plan. Instead of worrying about being lonely, I need to remind myself that I am never alone. Lastly, I need to celebrate the fact that I am more readily able to focus all of my attention on the Lord in this time when I am not distracted by another worldly love.
In His name,
Ailee
Sunday, January 10, 2010
By Grace We Have Been Saved
Grace, the unmerited favor of God.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8
I just finished listening to an Austin Stone podcast from 12/22/07 which focused on the gift of God's grace, and I feel compelled to share my thoughts and feelings about the sermon. The verse in Ephesians (above) really captures the essence of the message, which discusses how glorious it is that God's calls on us personally in our lives. Matt Carter (the pastor at the Stone) says that there are two ways that we see God call on his people, by invitation and effectually. The latter of the these is when God literally compels us to action by picking us up and moving us in our lives. Matt uses the story of Lot leaving Sodom and Gomorrah from Genesis to describe effectual calling. Although God had sent angels to tell Lot to leave the city, "...Lot still hesitated, [and] the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful." (Genesis 19:17). Sometimes we ignore God's calling or we are confused about what He is saying to us, but God has a plan for us and He will ensure that this plan comes in to fruition.
Another point which Matt drives in the sermon is that God has abundant compassion on our lives, and He picked us up out of our sins and He sanctified us. We have been called by God in our lives to be righteous, holy people, and it is so important that we do not forget about this calling. Romans 8:28 says "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." God has had mercy on our lives, and it is by His grace that we were saved. Matt tells a story about a time when he was pulled over by a police officer for an expired registration sticker, and while he definitely deserved the ticket, the officer had mercy on him and let him go with only a warning. He then goes on to explain that this story does not illustrate grace, but instead depicts the officer having mercy on Matt. The difference is that grace is when you receive something that you do not deserve, as opposed to not receiving something that you do deserve. I've been thinking about the differences between the two, mercy and grace.
How often is it that we give to others when they do not deserve it? Before I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart, I was a sinner, dead in my transgressions (Ephesians 2:1). I did absolutely nothing to merit the love and glory of God, and He called me to be a follower of His word nonetheless. I think that it is important for us, as Christians, to display this same love to people in our lives by giving abundantly to others, even those whom we do not think are deserved. With this said, I challenge myself, and others, to try to do something helpful and generous in order to try to display Jesus' love through our lives. In Peter 2:21, the Bible says that "For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps."
I pray that these words penetrate your heart, and that this challenge may mean as much to you as it does to me.
In His name,
Ailee
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