Always Abounding - Fall 2019

be debt free when you get married. Many
people think that getting married doubles
the income producing possibilities, but I’ve
rarely seen it work that way. Couples who
postpone marriage (by a reasonably small
amount of time) to clear out their debt
are much better off in more than financial
ways when they get married. However
the point of writing this is not to get you
to postpone your marriage when you are
ready to get married...the point is for you
to get rid of your debt while you are still
getting prepared for marriage. Don’t get
“all involved” and then figure out that you
have too much debt, not enough income,
no place to live, a car that scares your
father-in-law to death, and more expenses
than you can handle to get married. Get
your finances and your outlook on money
straight before you begin to pursue a wife.
Again, you should be debt free; you should
have sufficient income (not your or her
dad’s level of income, just sufficient); you
should have a modest place to live; and
you should have your expenses completely
under control.
So, where are you in these areas?
How long (in months) will it take for you
to become ready to be married? Now,
how long will it take you to meet, get to
know, engage, and marry? The normal
engagement time for college-age young
people is 10-12 months. Often, couples
are in a period of being “quite sure” that
the person they are dating is the one they
will marry for 4-6 months. They spend
that time getting to know each other
better. And it often takes 4-6 months for
a couple to “find out” if the one they’re
hanging out with more than the others
is worth getting to know. So, the typical
courtship time period from “just friends”
(honestly) to “I do” is from 18-24 months.
Often, when a relationship is longer than
this, the physical attraction has progressed
way before the rest of the relationship has,
and couples put themselves in danger of
serious problems.
God created marriage. Keep yourself
“on track” to be a Biblical husband.
“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good
thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord
(Proverbs 18:22).”
(Jeff Voegtlin is the Vice President of Fairhaven Baptist
College and leads the singles group of Fairhaven
Baptist Church.)
Interior of Church Building
Throughout the 50-year history of
Fairhaven Baptist Church, God has
touched countless lives. We rejoice to hear
of many still serving the Lord throughout
the world today. In a world that is aimless
with those who have turned their back on
God, it is such an encouragement to know
there are so many still faithful to His Word.
Please come rejoice with us in His
goodness! On Saturday, July 11, a
“Welcome Home” dinner will be served at
5:00 pm, with fellowship and a fireworks
display to follow. For those whose church
isn’t local, please join us for a special
Sunday morning service at 10:30 am and
lunch following.
www.fairhavenbaptist.org | 7