Last year my friend Christina Sharp wrote a guest post called “Homelessness and the Church”. It is with great joy I welcome her back as a guest blogger for today’s topic on dating. Be sure to give Christina’s blog a follow!
Here is the secret sauce to Christian dating, plain and simple: God first. Relationship second. When I was debating what to write about this topic, I was stressing myself out. Like hard core. I had no idea what approach to take because there is so much on this topic already written. Then I did the best thing I could have possibly done and asked myself, “what does God say about relationships, love and marriage? What are His thoughts?” This is what I found:
“For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of host is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called.” Isaiah 54:5
God explicitly tells us that He is our husband, first. He is our redeemer, our deliver, our refuge. God will never fail us or forsake us. God fills a part of our heart that will never be satisfied by another human. He calls us to love Him above anything and anyone. Therefore, He should be put before any relationship that you have. When you think about Christian dating, typically the following verse comes to mind:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Christina and Shelby
Everyone looks for these qualities in a partner and guess what- every single human on this planet is going to fail in attaining all of these qualities. GOD IS LOVE. God is patient and kind. He does not boast and He is not proud. He does not dishonor others and is not self-seeking. He is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs. Thank goodness that we have a Father who attains these qualities! God lays out clear instructions of how we should love and serve one another. The key to Christian dating is keeping God at the center of your relationship. Pray together and apart. Pray for one another. Hold each other accountable! Be humble. Be kind. Forgive. Love just as Christ has loved you. Lead each other with grace and mercy. Speak gently to one another. Seek council from your elders or even Christian friends who are in the same season as you. Ask other people to pray for you and be a blessing to your partner. It won’t always be easy but God promises that it will be worth it. I don’t know about you, but I personally would take God’s promises over anyone elses any day.
Bonus bible verses:
“Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2
“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:14
About the Author: Christina Sharp
Christina is a Texas native who loves Jesus, her family, and laughter. She is currently a fourth-grade teacher, spending most of her days with sweet tiny humans.
She started her blog with the hope that it can inspire others to walk with Jesus, and love on the people around us. Feel free to leave a comment or follow her on social media.
Keep up with Christina on Instagram
