What did it mean to genuinely care about the girls I knew?
...I've come to understand that God's lordship in my life doesn't merely tinker with my approach to romance--it completely transforms it. God not only wants me to act differently; He wants me to think differently--to view love, purity, and singleness from His perspective, to have a new lifestyle and a new attitude...
Every relationship for a Christian is an opportunity to love another person like God has loved us. To lay down our desires and to do what's in his or her best interest. To care for him or her even when there's nothing in it for us. To want that person's purity and holiness because it pleases God and protects him or her...
I've come to realize that while friendships with the opposite sex are great, I have no business asking for a girl's heart and exclusive affections if I'm not ready to consider marriage. Until I can do that, I'd only be using the girl to meet my short-term needs, not seeking to bless her for the long term...
As I've sought God's will for my life, I've discovered that a relationship wouldn't be best for me or the one I'd date right now. Instead, by avoiding romantic, one-on-one relationships before God tells me I'm ready, I can better serve girls as a friend, and I can remain free to keep my focus on the Lord...
True love isn't just expressed in passionately whispered words or an intimate kiss or an embrace; before two people are married, love is expressed in self-control, patience, even words unsaid...
When I stopped seeing girls as potential girlfriends and started treating them as sisters in Christ, I discovered the richness of true friendship...
I believe the time has come for Christians, male and female, to own up to the mess we've left behind in our selfish pursuit of short-term romance. What excuse will we have when God asks us to account our actions and attitudes in relationships? If God sees a sparrow fall (Matthew 10:29), do you think He could overlook the broken hearts and hurt we caused in relationships based on selfishness?
[from I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris]
...I've come to understand that God's lordship in my life doesn't merely tinker with my approach to romance--it completely transforms it. God not only wants me to act differently; He wants me to think differently--to view love, purity, and singleness from His perspective, to have a new lifestyle and a new attitude...
Every relationship for a Christian is an opportunity to love another person like God has loved us. To lay down our desires and to do what's in his or her best interest. To care for him or her even when there's nothing in it for us. To want that person's purity and holiness because it pleases God and protects him or her...
I've come to realize that while friendships with the opposite sex are great, I have no business asking for a girl's heart and exclusive affections if I'm not ready to consider marriage. Until I can do that, I'd only be using the girl to meet my short-term needs, not seeking to bless her for the long term...
As I've sought God's will for my life, I've discovered that a relationship wouldn't be best for me or the one I'd date right now. Instead, by avoiding romantic, one-on-one relationships before God tells me I'm ready, I can better serve girls as a friend, and I can remain free to keep my focus on the Lord...
True love isn't just expressed in passionately whispered words or an intimate kiss or an embrace; before two people are married, love is expressed in self-control, patience, even words unsaid...
When I stopped seeing girls as potential girlfriends and started treating them as sisters in Christ, I discovered the richness of true friendship...
I believe the time has come for Christians, male and female, to own up to the mess we've left behind in our selfish pursuit of short-term romance. What excuse will we have when God asks us to account our actions and attitudes in relationships? If God sees a sparrow fall (Matthew 10:29), do you think He could overlook the broken hearts and hurt we caused in relationships based on selfishness?
[from I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris]
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