Home Work - Pt. 4 - Working Singles Series

Home Work

Pt. 4 – Working Singles

Over the last three week’s we have been handing out home work at church! The first week I gave the home work to the dads. Fight apathy, help your families make good decisions, set priorities, and establish godly boundaries or guardrails.

Then I challenged the women to fight misalignment. To learn that submit isn’t a bad concept, but one that brings the miraculous to bear. Told our women to understand their men, themselves and to offer support! Then we went into Proverbs 31 to what traits a godly woman processes.

Then last week we dealt with families. Remember God sees us as families. We must fight nearsightedness. We can’t become so focused on now and forget to work towards tomorrow. It is important for us to remember everything flows down. You have to get something in you before you can get it in them. How has your home sounded this week? Working families sound different. You cannot escape the Word. We shroud or homes in the Word so our family thinks and lives according to the Word.

So today I want to wrap up this series up by talking about working singles. Scripture is clear that being single is not a curse or the worst thing that can happen to someone even though our society seems to think it is! Listen to what Jesus has to say about being single.

Text: Matthew 19:11-12

11-12But Jesus said, "Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life. It requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn't for everyone. Some, from birth seemingly, never give marriage a thought. Others never get asked—or accepted. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons. But if you're capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it."

And then Paul weighs in and says,

1 Corinthians 7:32-35

32-35I want you to live as free of complications as possible. When you're unmarried, you're free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. Marriage involves you in all the nuts and bolts of domestic life and in wanting to please your spouse, leading to so many more demands on your attention. The time and energy that married people spend on caring for and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God. I'm trying to be helpful and make it as easy as possible for you, not make things harder. All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions.

1. Singles’ #1 enemy is complexity!

I know of no one who has prayed, sought God and actually found the mate that they dreamed of that would trade their married life for single life again. However, I also know of no one regardless of how healthy or perfect their marriage is who also wouldn’t admit that marriage complicates your life! Marriage takes a ton of energy. Marriage dominates your life or at least it will if it is a healthy marriage.

Paul weighs in and says that one of the greatest gifts of single life is simplicity! Being single allows you the opportunity to remain focused on important things. I think singles get in trouble when they confuse complexity for completion so they get into a relationship thinking it will complete them and instead their life is complicated!

One of the greatest myths that abounds today in the mind of singles is that marriage is easy! Single is easy. Married is tough! Marriage is hard work.

If you ever think “If I could just find the right person my life would be easier”, then you have fallen prey to the enemy. Relationship complicates . . . period!

2. Working singles must be self centered!

That sounds weird. You are actually telling us to be self centered or selfish? Care about no one else. Forget what I do impacts others. No, that is not what I mean. I mean that you understand that while you are single you must work on you. You are self centered. Your attention is focused on growing you. Listen to what Jesus says, “But if you're capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it.” Then Paul jumps in and says while you are single you should be becoming WHOLE or complete!

In other words singles that get it understand that they have to work on themselves. They don’t get into a relationship and then hope to grow. They grow as a person now! You have to recognize that maturity is not to be postponed until you are in a relationship. You have a mandate to mature now!

The Bible never portrays being single as second class or something less than normal or even desirable when in fact, the Bible paints being single in a positive light. The truth is that society has taught us that single equates with incomplete and therefore single folks allow themselves to feel undone or unfinished. When God wants us to understand that a marriage partner or earthly relationship can never complete what only God has the ability to complete! Since you are complete now you must begin to work on your issues, your immaturities, and your problems now. No one is going to magically fix you! Your completion has nothing to do with anyone but you and God.