Daily Devotional for Wednesday December 12, 2018

It is OK to be single!

(Romans 12:12; Luke 21:19)

***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Father, bless me this day to have the courage to stand up for YOUR TRUTH in my daily life. Give me boldness to proclaim YOUR TRUTH when I am with those who mock and demean our faith in Christ and for following the teachings of the Bible. No matter what they may say, let me be not afraid to stand for you. In Jesus name...AMEN!

I realize that many of my Devotionals deal with husbands and wives, parents and children. I also realize that many of you are not married at the present time. In our society, you are almost looked down on if you are not married or involved in a relationship with someone. Many people feel like something is wrong with them if they are single. Being single is okay!

Whether you are single because of a divorce, your spouse has died, or you have never married, IT IS OK. The point I want to share with you today is to be patient. I can assure you, 99% of the relationship problems I deal with each and every day can be traced back to people who were impatient, good people who jumped into relationships outside of God's timing and ended up paying a big price. I realize that loneliness will cause you to make poor decisions, but you have got to understand the consequences of those decisions.

The number one problem in relationships is that there is no spiritual base. While money, communication, and other issues are the most popular reasons for problems, I assure you the lack of a spiritual base in the relationship is the reason these other problems exist. Not having a secure spiritual base is why God said not to be unequally yoked. He knew without that base, the relationship could never survive.

The base starts with the personal walk each person has with the Lord. It is then solidified by both people bringing their faith together as one. The Bible talks of the man being the spiritual head of his home. It is important for a man to take this job seriously and be the priest in his home. It is his responsibility to help merge his faith and that of his potential wife. Praying together. Reading the Word together. Serving the Lord together. These are all ways for two people to lay a solid and secure spiritual base. Let me tell you this.

WITHOUT A SPIRITUAL BASE, NO RELATIONSHIP WILL LAST OR HAVE ANY LONG-TERM SIGNIFICANCE.

While I realize finding someone physically attractive, someone with a nice personality, someone with a good job may all be criteria in finding a mate, but if you do not focus first on the spiritual side of the relationship, it is doomed. I want to tell you now, without hesitation. The reason for the high divorce rate amongst the people of God is because there is NO spiritual base in the relationship. This is why patience is critical.

While the downside to being single is loneliness, the upside is it allows you to grow and develop a real walk with Christ. It also gives you the power over what relationships you will enter into. There is a power in the fact you have choices you can make. Be picky. Be patient. You do not have to find someone today. This is where your faith and trust in God becomes important as well. He knows your needs and desires. Trust Him. Have faith in Him that He is going to bring the right person into your life.

It hurts me to know many of you are hurting from the loneliness of being single. I pray that today you will refocus on your walk with the Lord. I pray you will realize there is nothing wrong with being single. I pray you will know that God understands your needs and desires, and He will bring the right person into your life. I will add that, like everything, it is a combination of God's sovereign will and our responsibility.

You cannot expect to sit in the house and wait for the Lord to send the right person knocking at your door. Like all battles, you need a game plan, and you need to be faithfully executing the plan each day to see victory. My emphasis today, though, is that as you are out looking for a mate, remember that unless your relationship has a spiritual base to it, it will not last.

Being single is okay. Use the time to solidify your walk with Christ. Be patient. Never forget that the Lord loves you and will bring the right person into your life. rust Him and wait on His perfect timing!

In His love and service,

Your friend, brother, and co-laborer in Christ,

Bill Keller