God's Amazing Love

Marcelino Rapayla Jr.

I recently saw a quote that said, “God can love you more in a moment than all lovers in a lifetime”.  When I saw this, I was awestruck because although we know that God loves us, we need to be reminded of how much He loves us.   Many singles struggle with the feelings of loneliness and abandonment when they are not in a relationship with someone.  This quote reminds us that, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15: 13).  Even though we are single, we have the best type of love that anyone could ever have. It’s simply the love of Christ.  This is why it’s SO IMPORTANT for singles to understand that if you are not content with God’s love in your singleness then no love from anyone could ever be enough.   

We sometimes search for love and fulfillment in all the wrong places while neglecting that relationship with Christ.  Maybe you are single because God wants you to understand that no one can fill that void that is in your heart.  Once you become content with Him alone then He may bless you with that husband or wife that you desire.  When you become discouraged because you are single, be reminded of what the Bible says about God’s love. Here are some scriptures that may encourage you:

John 3:16-“ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Romans 5:8 - “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Ephesians 2:4-5 - “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”

2 Corinthians 5:21 -“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Isaiah 53:5 -“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

I don’t know about you but when I read these particular scriptures I just fall in love with Jesus all over again.  Who do you know would endure harsh beatings and then die for you? I always tell myself when I get discouraged about life’s challenges, “He loves me and wants me to have the best in life. If He didn’t love me, then He wouldn’t have died for me”. Sometimes the enemy whispers discouraging things to you that “He forgot about you” and “He doesn’t care because if He did care, then you wouldn’t be going through what you are going through”. Well, combat him with scriptures that talks about His love for us.

In conclusion, although I listed some scriptures in this post about Christ's love, I challenge you to really delve down in the word of God and search for scriptures that will encourage you during this time.

Your Sister in Christ,

4 Reasons Why Being in a Relationship With An Unbeliever Is Not a Good Idea

      

Diogo Figueira

Many Christians have probably found themselves in relationships with men or women or considered being in relationships with these individuals who are not saved.   They may have had thoughts like, “Oh I can change him” or “With time, he’ll see my love for Christ and eventually get saved.” How do I know this? I know this because I have been there myself. We use these thoughts to justify what we are doing. There are 4 reasons why you should not pursue a relationship with a man or woman that is not saved. 

1. The number one reason why you should not pursue a relationship with someone who is not saved is because the Bible says so! In 2 Corinthians 6:14, it says, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”. The Greek word for yoke is zugos which is translated to mean “serving to couple two things together” (“Yoke”). When you are in a relationship with someone, you have become a couple.  “Unequally yoked with unbelievers” now means you have been yoked up or coupled up with someone who is not a believer.  Some people may say well she “believes” in God but she hasn’t given her life over to Christ.  This person is not a believer.  The word “believe” means to “to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.”(“Believe”) For example, if you “believe” that a chair is going to hold you, you will sit on the chair. It’s the same way in the spiritual world.  If you really believe in Jesus Christ, you will give your life over to Him and follow His word. Believing in something produces action.  
2. He or She is most likely going to want to have premarital sex with you.  Do you really want to put yourself in a situation where you will feel tempted to compromise what you believe? For me, when I meet a guy, I ask him in our initial conversations about how he feels about having sex before marriage. If he says that he thinks it’s okay, then I tell him, “I think you are a good person, but I don’t see this friendship or relationship going anywhere” . Yes this is one of the first things we talk about because I’m not going to waste my time with someone who doesn’t believe the same thing that I do.  It may sound harsh, but this is what works for me. Ladies and gentlemen, if you know that the person that you care about is sexually active, it is very wise for you not to be in a relationship with him or her. 
3.  “I can change him/her” is one of the biggest lies that Satan will try to convince you of.  You CANNOT change anyone if that person doesn’t want to be changed.  If they are happy in their sins, THEY WILL NOT CHANGE FOR YOU.  The person may start going to church with you more or they may stop cursing, but if they haven’t given their life over to God then it doesn’t matter. Be careful with people who appear to do these things because if you decide to marry them, it MAY not last. They may be doing this just to get with you. Yes, people can change, but if you go into a marriage believing that they will become saved, you are taking a big chance. Why take that chance?
4. They will only hinder your spiritual growth. When you want to go to church, they may want to go to the club. When you want to do Bible Study together, they may want to go to the movies. (Side note: I don’t see anything wrong with going to the movies, but this person will try to put off doing the things of God to do something else).  Before you know it, you may be finding yourself going places and doing things that you may not normally do. Why? It’s because you have all of these ungodly influences pulling you away from your path with God.                                                                                                                                                               At the end of the day, it’s not enough if he or she goes to church. It’s not enough if he or she leads the devotion services at church.  It’s not enough if he or she is making a six figure salary every year. It’s not enough if he or she loves children like you. It’s not enough if he or she has an amazing body. It’s not enough if he or she has the same interests like you. All of this is not enough if they are not saved and truly living according to God’s word. When life’s challenges come your way in your marriage and it will, their six-figure salary will not encourage you.  You are going to need someone who knows how to PRAY during difficult times.  This person will need to be there to encourage you spiritually.  It’s nothing wrong with desiring the six figure salary or amazing body, but make sure that this person is saved and is bearing the fruits of the spirit.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
   In conclusion, desire someone who is going to uplift you spiritually.  The Lord is wiser than us and He knows that marriage is hard, but if you are unequally yoked, it will be MUCH harder.   Therefore, follow His way and you will be blessed.   
   
   References
   
   “Yoke”. W.E. Vine's M.A., Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. 04 Aug. 2014. http://www.menfak.no/bibelprog/vines.pl?word=yoke
   
   "Believe." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 04 Aug. 2014. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/believe>.
   
   
   

   
   

   
                                                                                                                                              
   Your Sister in Christ,