Not only should we hope for marriage with wisdom, but we should…
…Approach marriage purposefully rather than recreationally.
Genesis 2:24 says, “For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”
Let’s be clear: The purpose for dating is marriage. You should not expect intimacy when there is no commitment. God created man and woman for commitment, not for recreational pleasure…just someone to hang out with. You don’t give your heart (or your body) to someone you do not intend to spend the rest of your life with.
You don’t start dating someone unless you are seriously interested in the possibility of marrying that person. No more ambiguity! People are not cars that we take for a test drive. We can wreck a lot of innocent people that way.
Therefore, do not enter a dating relationship lightly. Instead, enter into a relationship with a clearly agreed on purpose to discover if God is leading you into marriage. To date is not a commitment to marry, but it is a commitment to pursue marriage. So define the relationship, its goals, and your intent.
You may say, “How do I know I want to consider this person for marriage before I start dating him?” Very simply, you observe him. You serve the Lord with him. You watch how he lives out his faith. You view him as a brother in Christ.
The only purpose to date is to establish a marriage relationship. So if you’re not ready to “settle down,” don’t date! If you’re not ready to support a wife financially, don’t date. If you’re not ready to be the spiritual leader in your home, don’t date. If you’re not ready to serve a mate, don’t date. If the girl is not sold out, surrendered to following Jesus and serving His Bride, the church, then don’t date her.
Dating relationships are designed to move toward marriage. So if that’s not your purpose, don’t date.
Quick Word to Parents: Dating is meant to get serious. We are built to go all the way emotionally and physically. So if you allow your young son or daughter to enter a recreational dating relationship, don’t be surprised when it gets too serious too soon. Don’t be surprised when someone gets a broken heart or worse.
Healthy relationships are a lot of fun, but they are only healthy when we are honor God’s purpose for marriage and when we honor the people He brings into our lives.
What do you think? Are there any benefits to recreational dating? How have you seen purposeful dating build healthy marriage relationships? Click Comment button below to enter conversation.
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You need to bring this message to Union. The place is an engagement phenomenon
You need to bring this message to Union. The place is a dating phenomenon.
You book me. I’ll be there.