It IS worth it

If you missed last week's post Is it worth it as a single? you may want to take a look before reading on. And, after you get over the shock and wonder that I've learned how to embed a link...enjoy this week's response! It IS worth it...

To stay physically pure.

Listen closely to this world's song and you'll hear counter melodies of heartache, disillusion, depression, and destruction. How do I know? My Bible tells me. Over and over again. Says that no one even leans toward sexual sin and goes unscathed. But happy is the man who stays off this ungodly path. And for those who flee, abstain, and avoid physical impurity? The lavish, constant, blessings of obedience. Worth it. 

To prepare well, come early, stay late, and listen long for the body of Christ's sake.

Friends, we can't even offer a dinky cup of water without His notice. When we give for Christ's sake, He considers it as done unto Him. (think about that!) So mound your altar with precious time and valuable strength...lay down the gifts and resources unique to you. Your return? It will have to be pressed down and shaken together for you to contain it. And even then it will pour over the rim of your life. Worth it. 

To walk through hardships unique to singleness while hoping in God.

My 'hard things' are gonna be different than yours. But we do share an invitation to come boldly before the throne of grace to find help. A welcome to pour out our hearts before Him and find He is a refuge. The sure promise that if we "hope in God" we will yet be praising Him. 

And however life pulls and twists you, nothing unravels that connection. "The cable, though unseen, bears the heavy strain between." Your anchor will hold. There is nothing more secure. Worth it to bank your hope on this in hardship? Yes.   

To train 'free' times for spiritual growth.

A day in His presence is better than a thousand. That's 1,000. And the more you pause long enough to taste and see, the more you'll find His goodness. What for those who meditate on His law day and night? They stop just doing life, and start to flourish like trees planted by rivers of water. Worth it? Most definitely. 

(Congratulations! You're half way through!) 

To wrestle with what it means to "care for the things of the Lord."

Paul didn't say, "just wait til you're married, that's when life really starts to count." Rather, he points out what only singles can do for the kingdom of God: "Care for the things of the Lord, how you can please Him." Wow. 

Doesn't matter if I'm in ministry, school, secular job, in between jobs, dating, not dating, sick, healthy, young, ah...not so young, nothing outside of marriage changes those marching orders. Friends, we are not misfits in God's plan. We have been given our very own task in the Kingdom of God. Worth it to fulfill that? Oh my, yes.   

To stay emotionally pure.

When I was young, I spent countless hours in the woods building and maintaining my fort. And after making 'coffee' and mud cookies, the Indians would come. We would have long talks about the woods and God. And I'd work hard to ignore their sharp, blood spattered weapons. This was the perfect imaginary world. I controlled it. Never mind that it wasn't real. 

Emotional attachments are like that. I'm attracted to someone and suddenly there's this imaginary world where glances, words, social media activity and more get pressed into this story playing in my head. It's a love story. And in a way, I control it because I interpret it. 

But Philippians 4:8 says, "Think on things that are true." Worth it to place my mind on what I know is true in each situation and thus guard my heart? Yes. Because, honestly, no one wants to live in this lah-lah land where we end up hurting ourselves and others. I want reality. An accurate view of life. No distortion. One that shows me how God is truly at work in life. And when I "think on these things" that's what I get.      

To pursue situations where selfishness will be exposed. 

You know that beautiful picture of Christ in Philippians 2? It's sandwiched between commands to esteem others better than ourselves, and work out Christ's example in our own salvation. I find one of my greatest motivations here.

This passage shows me God's eye is trained on those who humble themselves for others. And if Christ isn't enough, take Paul and Timothy's example in the following verses. In God's economy, that humility is worthy of high exultation. I want to live in Philippians 2, friends. It's worth it. 

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Only my Bible can bear the heavy weight of these questions. And although the passages that form your foundation may look different than mine, make sure they are the actual stuff of your foundation. You need not fear disappointment in doing this:

It's worth it. 

Beth