City Life Starter

I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 7:33-35a

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…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 her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you.

II. Study Questions

1. Do you view singlehood as a blessing or a restriction on your happiness?

2. What about marriage?

3. Has another person or relationship ever been an idol in your life?

My life as a single Christian man did not last very long – about 1 year. I had surrendered my life to Jesus Christ in college at the same time I had started dating a girl who was on fire for God. Right from the start, I was verifiably love-struck, and it didn’t take too long before we were inseparable. We knew we were going to marry each other, it was just a matter of time. In a way, I idolized this girl and our relationship more than God and my newfound relationship with Jesus.

 The couple discipling us at the time could see it clearly and strongly encouraged us to lay down our relationship for the sake of pursuing God wholeheartedly. I have no doubt Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 7:33-35 were guiding them in their advice to us as young disciples of Christ. Even though we were only dating, we couldn’t deny we were spending too much time with each other instead of pursuing an intimate personal relationship with God. After a lot of prayer and buckets of tears, we took a step of faith and followed the advice of those discipling us. We broke up. Our parents were shocked, our friends didn’t understand, we were both devastated.

 Not long after, I was invited to move into the garage attic of a rented house to live with several other young men from my church. The mission of the house was single-minded devotion to the Lord, and I had nothing to lose. We woke up early mornings, met in the living room, and took turns leading bible studies. We prayed for hours together. We read and memorized scripture every day. We played music and sang and brought heaven down to earth. We corrected each other in love and rebuked when necessary.

That one year of my life as a single man was the most transformative time I have ever experienced, and it laid a strong foundation for my life today as a married man.

This upcoming Spring will mark my 15th year of marriage to that young girl I broke up with. It’s a marriage that revolves around Jesus at the center instead of each other and thrives on the power of the Spirit instead of our own strength. Thank God for singlehood!

PRAYER

Jesus, you know me so well. You know my deepest desires, and you have the perfect plan for my life. Help me to trust you more so I can make the most of today, regardless of the life circumstances I’m currently in. Circumstances are ever-changing, and so am I, but you never change. Your promises are eternal. There is nothing like being fully devoted to you God. It feels so good to lavish you with all my love and worship and to receive even greater love in return. Let the foundation of my life and all my relationships be Jesus and Him alone, from today until my last day on Earth. Amen.