just some thoughts

So things are changing.
At home. My Brother in law and his wife have moved out.
Kinda sad.
I will miss them. But I won't complain about it, because I complained to much when they lived at the house (in private of course).

Sometimes I don't understand why people have to be rediculous though.
It's not my life, I can't make decisions for them.

Well on a different note, in the next few weeks I am going to be giving a message to the jr. high students about "DATING"!!!

Boy are they in for a treat!!
Muaahahaha, because I don't believe in dating, especially when the kids can't even drive, or pay for their own dates.

But anyways, I was thinking and praying about how Jesus handled relationships.
And because Jesus never dated, that kind of makes things hard.
But he does have a bride,
the church. And scripture paints a beautiful picture on how he loves his bride the church.

It's the perfect example of love, devotion and purity.

Ephesians 5:25-27
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

I can't stop these kids from dating.
But I can make them think about it.
Since dating helps you find your potential spouse, I don't think it's a good idea to date unless they are willing to take on what Christ did.
The Bible is clear that we are reflect Christ.

Jesus Sacrificed everything for us, the ones he loves.
IN our relationships we should do the same.

So my whole point is, if we can't glorify and reflect Christ in our relationships...
Then we shouldn't be having those relationships at all.
We need to be glorifying him in every word, thought and deed, and keeping ourselves, holy, pure and set apart.
That is what Christ has done for us, and we need to help each other do the same and that can't be done when dating is all about fufilling what you want. Emotion, physical security, all the things we need to find in God, and not another person.
Christ didn't do what he did for a good time, or good tingly feelings in his body, he didn't do what he did for idenity and approval in anything but God.
That is all dating promotes, good times, good feelings, idenity, and appoval of the opposite sex.
And when you are sick and tired of not getting those feelings anymore you just dump that person, forget they were every part of your life, when in reality they still are, especially because your heart was given to that person.
I want to encourage these kids to get to know the opposite sex without having to "give their hearts and bodies away so carelessly, and without loosing their focus on Jesus."
It's so hard to focus on Christ when you have someone else taking that attention away.
They can get to know the opposite sex, they can hang out with the opposite sex, but to give their love, devotion, time, hearts to someone that isn't even going to spend the rest of their life with, to me, seems like a waste.
God has plans for them. I know so many kids who throw away what God had once placed in their hearts all because of a boy, or girl.
I actually almost became one of those people, if it weren't for God's mercy.

Now I know that a lot of the kids won't like the idea, and that is okay.
I just want to challenge them to think of how Christ treats his love.

Relationships that glorify God, should be ones that are serving, growing, and leading others to him. Sacrificing earthly, fleshly desires to please God.
In a sense that, when we are in a relationship, wether dating, engaged, married, friends, we are a body, and together, we are preparing ourselves to be united with our groom Jesus Christ.
Together, we can be pure, blameless, holy, and presentable to our Groom.
And that is the beauty of relationships that make God happy.
When we loose ourselves, when we become the vine and branches, the Bride and Groom, becoming one flesh.




:-)