Welcome to Day 4 of Stress Points to Life Points!
Day 4 Stress Point: Dating Jesus First
Just as I mentioned in Stress Point for both of the dating chapters, this section (Day 4 and Day 5) is for everyone, regardless of your dating status. If you are single, this is for YOU. If you are dating seriously, this is for YOU. If you are engaged, this is for YOU. And, if you are married, this is for YOU, too. Lean on in and listen to this one piece of advice for successful relationships…
Date Jesus FIRST.
You heard me right. Isn’t it so easy to let that mushy gushy feeling of being in loooooove distract us from our relationship with God? We get caught up in the fun happenings of getting prettied up for hot dates, going out to restaurants or movies or whatever that it is tempting to let our time with Jesus slide to the back burner. Here’s the deal, though. When we keep our KING in the center of our romantic relationships He…
~Protects our heart if/when the guy crosses a line…
~Guides us in godly behavior that really is for our own good…
~Shows us if Mr. Right is really not so…well…right for us
~Shows us how to love your guy with an unselfish love that sustains relationships and takes them to amazing levels of trust and intimacy.
Jesus is the perfect example of true LOVE. In order to survive the dating world and move into relationships that please the Lord, we must imitate Jesus. Love HIM first. Serve Him first. Then we will best know how to love and serve others, including the guy in your life. This takes intentional time in the Bible daily to stay accountable for our behavior while in that swooning phase of dating.
Truth Point: So imitate God. Follow Him like adored children, and live in love as the Anointed One loved you—so much that He gave Himself as a fragrant sacrifice, pleasing God. (Ephesians 5:1-2 THE VOICE)
From my book Stress Point: Thriving Through Your Twenties In A Decade of Drama:
This author of romance is our Immanuel, God with us. We see the name Immanuel used in the New Testament when God announces to Mary, Jesus’ mother, that she will give birth to a son and they will call Him Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:22–24). You might recall this detail from the Christmas story; I know the sweetness of the idea that God is with us has stuck with me since childhood. God literally came to earth to be with us when He sent His Son, Jesus. Then, because Jesus, our Immanuel, died on the cross for us, we still have God with us as the Holy Spirit living in our heart. All it takes to feel God’s presence with you is to believe that Jesus is your Lord, Savior, and King.
Through every stage of life—the good, the bad, and the ugly—God is with us. This includes our romantic life. What girl doesn’t want to feel as though she’s the only one in the room, the most beautiful, absolutely captivating to someone? Our Immanuel makes this a reality. The people of God, the Israelites, lived in an on-again, off-again relationship with God in which they continuously fell away from and cycled back to their belief in their Immanuel. We too often live out this type of faith, as dating is usually a distraction to our all-out worship at the throne of our King. Yet He continues to welcome us back, forgiving our waywardness…
God wants us to long for Him, and Him alone. He calls us to worship at His throne because this worship puts us in a mind-set in which He alone can meet our needs and speak to our hearts. Because He is Immanuel, God with Us, the Lord knows our desires in dating, and He truly does want us to find happiness and love—the kind only He can give. When we are secure in worshiping at the throne of our Immanuel, our God who is always with us no matter what, we are okay with even being without a boyfriend or husband. At first the concept might be scary, but He pours His love and security over us and we grow to be okay with whatever romantic situation we find ourselves in. {Stress Point pages 81-83}
Life Points: Set some time in your schedule TODAY to make a date with Jesus. Get some worship music going and get your journal out. Write out these questions with an expectation that Jesus will speak to your heart.
~Lord, how much to YOU love me?
~Do you think I’m beautiful?
~How can I love YOU more today?
Your turn. What do you think about the concept of DATING JESUS FIRST even when you are in a romantic relationship? Leave a comment…let’s chat!
Spread the word! Share this on Twitter or Facebook…
I’m making a date with Jesus today. #stresspointstolifepoints www.liveitoutblog.com
**Click HERE to get your copy of Stress Point: Thriving Through Your Twenties In A Decade Of Drama
Loved this post! It is very true! I have really struggled with this area in my life. Making him first and really “dating” Jesus. Making that time and really just enjoying being with him. I am really coming to a place in my life where Jesus is all I need more than a “special someone”. Thanks for this reminder and encouraging word.
I love this post. I really wish I had started dating Jesus way before Evin and I started dating 5 years ago. Because I have always put Evin as #1 in my life it’s been a struggle to put God there instead. I think it’s very important to put God first and slowly but surely I’m getting there :)
I’m single so this encouraged me so much thanks for sharing Sarah!:)
I’m single, too. Also loved this encouraging post!
Bree , with all my friends getiing engaged or married that brought comfort to me to know I’m not alone in my singleness! Thanks for sharing!
You’re definitely not alone, Rebecca from France. I’ve never had a boyfriend (or been on a date) and I’m 29. Take a look at this site for encouragement: http://www.christian-single-woman.com.
This is also a fantastic site, Rebecca from France.
http://oursinglepurpose.com
I’m working on it! In all honesty, its hard. It’s much easier to daydream about a cute guy BUT most of the time (at least for me) that leads to a lot of hurt. So why not give pursuing Jesus a go!
Awesome!
Wow!! As usual this is a toughy but i Spent some time with the Lord and answered the questions and what an awsome God we serve!! I so saw God today when i was visiting my grandmother he I can love, cause he first loved me!
Love it. One thing I find myself praying again and again is that I would delight in God the same way He delights in me. I pray that my heart would always long for Him first and foremost. :)
This is a hot suject in the Christian realm. We live in a world where you can’t tell the difference between dating among Christians and people of the world. Dating Jesus is a scary for some people because it may mean focusing soley on HIM instead of men.