A Single Man in Possession of a Good Fortune...

"“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Thus begins the famous work Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It would seem through the scope of the story that the situation is just a tad bit backwards that every single woman is in want of a husband of a good fortune, but that is the irony, isn't it?

Dissecting Jane Austen's works is not my strong suit, so I will not go deeper into that analysis, but isn't it crazy how many Christians today fit into this mold? It seems to be a truth universally acknowledged that every Christian young male and every Christian young female ought to get married. And it seems fitting to tackle this subject after Valentine's Day.. 

Now I really really want to get married myself. I want to have a wonderful wife one day with whom I can serve the Lord. We should have somewhere between 1 and 100 little children running around our house (no, I would not really expect it possible to get a hundred children, the number is just supposed to show that I have no preference for the number as long as it is greater than 0).

But in today's Christian culture, it would seem that we think it is necessary for us to be married to serve the Lord (and if I'm real with you, the pressure seems much greater on the lady than on the gentleman and that's also just wrong). That however is just sad. The only thing necessary to serve the Lord is willingness.

Of course, no one is explicitly saying that we have to get married to serve the Lord; all would know such a claim to be ridiculous. But the way we have set up our culture is implying it to be true.

Perhaps our Christian culture has forgotten the entirety of Paul's admonition in I Corinthians 7. Here Paul develops a very key theme - both marriage and non-marriage can be honoring to God. Paul himself is partial to non-marriage, and it's easy to see how this fails to effect his ability to serve the church.

As I aforementioned, I am partial to the concept of marriage. I love families, not gonna lie. And that shouldn't have to effect my ability to serve either. Noah didn't have difficulty serving the Lord because of his wife. 

Paul however does highlight some challenges, such as having to put a high priority in your life upon your family, and then having difficulty ensuring that high priority doesn't just become too high.

But the main takeaway is that marriage and non-marriage can both please God. So keep that in mind, y'all, and don't coerce young ladies and gentlemen to get married. It's not for everyone. (I do still hope it's for me though.)



The following was the obligatory relationship post. It was about time that it was written. It started because Ryan had no idea of what to write about, and found himself writing the beginning words to Jane Austen's novel. Then suddenly an idea! 

The Greatest of These

I expected a much different focus in my earlier post, but the Lord had other plans. Still I wanted to share these verses with you today, so you get two blog posts! (Sort of.)

In I Corinthians 13, commonly called the "Love Chapter," Paul tells us what love is and why it is so important. As you read these words, please consider the truths presented and whether they apply currently to your life.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

"Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. ...

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

Love is Deeper than Chocolate

It's Valentine's Day, and you know what that means. Procrastinating men everywhere will be rushing through grocery stores looking for some satisfactory chocolates and flowers to show their dedication to their wives. (Because nothing says love more than chocolate right? Well, maybe bacon.) Knowing my procrastination skills, I can say that I will probably be one of them (but hey, I'm writing this post on Thursday at 3, that's an improvement).

In the meantime, all I can think of about Valentine's Day is the following:
Love is patient. Love is kind.
Love is slowly losing your mind.
BUT AT LEAST YOU'RE TOGETHER!!!

Of course, I'm just showing my cynical self. I am well aware that love isn't about chocolates, doesn't necessarily mean going insane, and isn't about some desire to be together all the time.

At its core, love is about sacrifice. It is about putting another's interest above your own. It is about caring despite how hard it is at the time. It is also about many other things I don't comprehend. What I do understand is that Jesus truly loved us. He sacrificed for our sins. He put his well-being aside. And he loved what truly is the unlovable.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  ~ John 15:13

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."  ~ I John 4:10

Do you exhibit a similar love to God? Are you willing to put your interests and desires aside to serve the Lord? I saw a banner once in the youth auditorium of a church that read, "He died for me. The LEAST I can do is live for Him." (Emphasis added.) Although this banner makes it seem as if it would be easy to live for the Lord, it is correct in its assertion that it is reasonable indeed for us to live a life of sacrificial love for God. As Romans 12:1 says,

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."