Today I'm getting married to a beautiful Puerto Rican woman. I've never been very good with meeting new people and I have prayed for a wife for a few years. God has answered me and given me one that is wonderful for me. Her heart, temperament, and love for the Lord Jesus Christ is what I desire for a partner in life.
1 Peter 3:4 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
Proverbs 8:22 He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.
What a precious woman, I am very happy to love this woman who is a delight to my heart. Since this is just a short writing and not a "blog dedication" type of thing, I'll mention a few things I learned from the dating world below.
A few Lessons Learned
Along the way I have received advice from various people that is hard to avoid. With some good intentions, but worldly advice I was told: "If billions of people in the world is having sex and you aren't there must be something wrong with you", "You have to have sex to know if they are good enough in bed", or "You need to live with someone at least 6 months to try them out", "Marriage is the worst thing you can do, it's prison".
1 Peter 4:5 They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.
1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
If in the moral arena I'm doing what most people are I'd be very concerned. Let every man be a liar and God be true. Here are a few answers to the above: Billions of people don't know the Lord Jesus yet, Sex is for marriage, God's shortest covenant is a lifetime, People are not trial packages like on television, Marriage is designed by God and it is good - Family is good, Putting myself into an unmarried living situation with someone I'm attracted to gives too much temptation.
Galatians 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test
1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Galatians 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!
9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
Matthew 7:15 Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
If you feel like God is far away, he isn't! He is very near, even in times you don't feel him. God doesn't ever change, he loves you just like when you first met him. Sometimes I get so busy that I put my relationship with God in second place. What I mean is, I pray a little bit in the morning, a little through the day, and a little at night -- but in my heart, I know I'm not really making real time for God. I'm just talking to Him while I go through the day, which is good -- but to get that genuine relationship flowing where I feel him, I have to set aside a time each day to just lay down and spend time with him.
It sounds so simple, but people have a way of over complicating things. So rather than formulating a big plan and schedule to talk to God, I just make a mental note of it and do it a little bit each day. A relationship is built by spending time with a person! It's so easy, but why do others and myself forget? The cares of the world bog us down! So ask yourself: "When is the last time I took time out of the day, just laid down, and talked to God?" If that seems like it gets you nowhere, put on some praise music and pour out your heart to God, it will help you keep praying. Sometimes I just put on the headphones and play some Hillsong and talk to God.
God wants to be close to you and I, we have to keep making effort to draw near to him. Only God can fill us inside with what the heart longs for -- I love it when you feel your identity from God inside of you, it's so rich and deep that every other worry goes away. Also, if you have a hard time reading the Bible, get the Bible on MP3 and listen to it in the car!
