Are you ready to date?
Is your teen or single ready to date? Here are some practical thoughts on
dating from the perspective of grace for you to consider before you answer.
Dating is
really not discussed in the Bible. It is a modern invention of the western
world. In the time of the Bible, parents chose who you were going
to marry. That may sound totally crazy to us today. However, we
parents know our kids better than anyone else and have a good idea of the
type of person who would be a good fit for them.
I'm not
suggesting that we go back to parents arranging who their kids marry. But I am
saying that people who are dating would be very wise to ask their parents what
they think about the person they are dating. Most parents are good at discerning
the character of a person fairly quickly. Are you willing to do that?
How is your
love relationship with Jesus? In other words, is your heart already
filled with God's personal love for you? If so, you are prepared to date if God
leads you to do so. Jesus' love for you will be a deterrent against you trying
to suck the life out of the other person to meet your God-given need for love.
This can be a major stumbling block in dating and in marriage.
Depending on Jesus to live his life through you is the only way to mature as a
person and a Christian. Nothing can better prepare you for dating than this.
Jesus says in John 15:5, "Apart from me you can do nothing" which
includes dating.
Learning
that your identity is in Christ is important too. Otherwise you will attempt to
derive your identity from the person you are dating. That's one of those things
that can sabotage your relationship quicker than playing a game of Call to
Duty.
Have you
decided on your non-negotiables in dating? I covered this very extensively in
my blog/devotion two weeks ago. I hope you have at least decided that you are
only going to date someone who loves Jesus as much as you do.
When you do
decide to get engaged, believing God has brought that special person into your
life, do yourself a favor and get some quality Christ-centered counseling. We
offer great pre-marital counseling in our office and through Skype but we also
know of other ministries around the country who can help as well.
Live Free In Christ,
Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2013 Mark Maulding
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