The holiday season is notoriously one of great expectations. It’s gift-giving time, and many men that have dated a special lady during the year will sometimes make it official on the Christmas or New Year’s holiday. Christmas, in particular, should be about celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our hearts should swell with gratitude as we figure out special ways to express our thanks to God for His many blessings, but the minds and hearts of some single women will be focused on other things. Some of them expect to receive a small box that contains a very big surprise. They want the symbol of a long and lasting commitment, and when their expectations are doused, and Mr. Might-Be Right didn’t quite make it as official as they had hoped, disappointment takes over.
As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have very specific responsibilities, and if we overlook them, the quality of our lives will reflect this. Jesus Christ told us in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father unless it is through him. The life that is Christ is life of the highest caliber. It is life in abundance. In other words, there is no end to the good stuff that we can receive through Jesus Christ, but this isn’t a one-sided deal. We have to do our parts as well.
Colossians 2:7(NLT) tells us, “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” When our lives are built on Jesus Christ, confidence in him oozes from our pores. We trust the Lord and have no doubt of His provision, so our minds and hearts are never anxious about what another person does or doesn’t do. The one thing that every believer must do is put God first. There is absolutely no exception to this requirement. It is the only way to let our roots grow down into Christ and to let our lives be built on him. There is no way for our faith to grow strong in God’s truth if do not put Him first.
Jackson and Sophia have been dating for almost three years. Since they’ve dated, everyone who knows them has remarked that they make a good couple. They both have all the ingredients that people commonly assume will make a great marriage, but they broke up over the Thanksgiving holiday. Everyone was shocked; no one saw it coming. After talking to one of Sophia’s sisters, I learned that Sophia was ready for marriage and wanted to start a family, but Jack was still on the fence. He didn’t want to rush into anything and was concerned that Sophia, who he had introduced to the faith, didn’t seem as interested in knowing the Lord as she once did.
The love of Christ cannot fail. It is impossible for it to fail. This seems like a redundant statement, because we all claim to know and believe this truth, but our actions will convey whether we genuinely believe it. We must ask ourselves if we trust in what a human being will give us more than we trust in what God has given us through Jesus Christ. Does an engagement ring mean more to us than our commitment to God? Somehow, Sophia left the impression with Jackson that for her, it did. The reality that her roots had not grown down into Christ was apparent to him, so there was no glue there because the love of Christ was not her anchor.
It’s true for every man and woman that the love of Christ is the glue in a relationship. It’s the magnet that draws our destiny partners to us and keeps us magnetized to each other. Without the love of Christ, we’ve got nothing to work with. If getting married is one of your desires, you must know that it will require courage. You must have the courage to ask Heavenly Father if you are putting Him first in the way He commands. Then, you must have the courage to hear His answer and do what He tells you to do. The humility to do this will build your trust that God knows exactly how to bless you with the right partner. If He’s number one in your life, you’ll have no doubt that this blessing will be yours in the season He appoints. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“They Make a Good Couple”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2020. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.