HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 313
page A311
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 7 :7 | I wish everyone were single. . . . Yet each person has a special gift
from God, of one kind or another.
Both marriage and singleness can be a gift from God. Is it all right to remain single? Yes,
of course. Is it all right to marry? Yes, of course. There are advantages to each.
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 7 :3 2 | An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and
thinking how to please him. (See note on page 1035.)
In your singleness, serve the Lord wholeheartedly. Do not succumb to the feeling that your
life is incomplete without a spouse.
What if I want to marry? Is that wrong?
• G E NE SI S 2 :1 8 | Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will
make a helper who is just right for him.”
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 7 :3 8 | So the person who marries his fiancée does well, and the person
who doesn’t marry does even better.
God created the institution of marriage, so it is a good thing if you want to be married. It
is good when the right people find each other, but it is tragic when a marriage falls short
of God’s glorious plan. People should not feel pressured to marry or to remain single. Ask
God to lead you concerning whether marriage is right and best for you.
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 7 :3 2 -3 5 | I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An
unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please
him. But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to
please his wife. His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer
married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in
spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to
please her husband. I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you.
I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as
possible.
Sometimes, when you desperately want something, it is easy to forget the gifts of your
current situation. Paul found that his singleness was an advantage in pursuing his call of
establishing churches. Step back and look for how God might want to use your singleness
in a way that he could not if you were married.
How can I deal with the loneliness of being single?
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 7 :3 2 , 3 4 | I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried
man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. . . . In the
same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to
the Lord and holy in body and in spirit.
You can alleviate loneliness by focusing your attention on what God wants you to be doing
and serving him wholeheartedly.
• H E B R E W S 1 0 :2 5 | And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but
encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
• R O MA NS 1 2 :5 | So it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong
to each other.
The best way to avoid loneliness is to get together with other believers. Get involved in a
local church. Get busy with God’s people doing God’s work. You don’t have to be married
to do that.
As a single parent, how do I deal with the feelings of being overwhelmed?
• PSA L M 6 8 :5 | Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling
is holy.
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• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 7 :1 7 | Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord
has placed you.
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How can God help me accept my singleness?