Hope to Marry - Waynesboro Otterbein Church

Hope to Marrybecoming intentional

Hope to Marrybecoming intentionalFrom Craig Schuler, Pastor of Next Generation and Faith at Home Ministrieswith Kurt Bruner, The Center for Strong FamiliesMost of us are called to marriage. It’s the natural design for fulfilling our drivefor companionship and sexuality. If you aren’t called to celibate service (see 1Corinthians 7) then a significant priority for this season of your life is preparingfor and moving toward a Biblical marriage. An intentional path to findinga mate recognizes that God is at work. But we also have a responsibility to befaithful in our part of the process. So how does a person who hopes to marrybecome intentional?Seek direction within Christian communityWe live in a day of hyper individualism where people feel very little sense ofobligation to others. God calls us, however, to vibrant community within ourfamilies and within the body of Christ. That community is the source for muchof our growth as Christians and is one of the best means for meeting a potentialspouse and receiving guidance and support toward marriage. Even in aday of online dating, marriage experts still consider matches made by friends,family and churches to be among the best.Move beyond recreational relationshipsOne of the clearest messages for singles in the Bible is the call to sexual purity(1 Corinthians 6:13-18, Ephesians 5:3 and Colossians 3:5). That’s proving tobe a difficult challenge in a day when almost 9 out of 10 unmarried 18 to29-year-olds are having sex. Sexual purity, however, is the primary means forintentionally moving toward marriage in a recreational relationship culture.Couples who stay sexually pure not only honor God but they avoid much ofthe confusion that plagues many of today’s relationships and can push goodmarriages out of reach.

GOING FURTHER – ResourcesA Guy’s/Girl’s Guide to Marrying Well – Boundless.org has put togethertwo short, practical guides, one for men and one for women, to help thembecome proactive about whether, how and who to marry. (Available as a freedownload at either www.boundless.org/guys or www.boundless.org/girls.)Get Married: What Women Can Do to Help it Happen by Candice Wattersmakes the case that a biblical marriage is an honorable pursuit, one thatwomen can help nurture along. Her book helps women see how they can “livelike they are planning to marry.”MarryWell.org is a relationship service that goes way beyond a compatibilitylist by providing coaching resources for those serious about pursuing a Christianmarriage.Boundless.org webzine offers young adults encouragement to live abundantlyas singles while seeking God’s best in either celibate service or marriage.GOING FURTHER – Otterbein SupportOC Young Adult Connect (OCYAC) – Designed to help 18 to 30-year-olds inthe Waynesboro/Hagerstown area connect with one another and take thenext step in their spiritual journey. See www.facebook.com/ocyac for moreinformation.801 Park St. • 912 S. Potomac St.Waynesboro, PA 17268 • 717.762.7147service times: Sundays 8, 9:20 & 10:45 a.m.