This February, we're talking about singleness, marriage and parenting during our series First Comes Love. For many of us, we have a blueprint for how we want relationships to work in our lives - but life is a lot messier, isn't it? No matter what your desired timetable looks like for love, marriage and a baby in a baby carriage, the Bible shows us that LOVE came first through Christ Jesus.

In 1 John 4:19, we learn that "We love because He (God) first loved us." When God entered into our world through Jesus Christ, he brought His unrelenting, uncompromising love and affection for us... and He desires to pour out that love out upon you. When we receive his love, we find what our hearts really need - a deep and abiding friendship with our Creator!

In Christ's love, we can find:

• Contentment in our relationship status: Whether married or single.
• Meaning and hope in our parenting: On the good days with our kids, and the hard days.
• Fulfillment in Jesus: Not trying to fill a void in our hearts with the acceptance and love of other people.

SINGLENESS

This week, we're kicking off this special series by focusing on singleness. In 1 Corinthians 7:6-8, the apostle Paul says that singleness is a gift. While at times singleness might feel like the gift nobody wants, Paul knows God was able to use him to do incredible things in his life as a single man. If you are single, God wants you to faithfully steward that gift for the sake of others!

Singleness isn't a middle stage before marriage - it's a good gift that helps give an eternal perspective to those who receive it. The Bible teaches that one day, marriages will end and we will be united to Jesus for all of eternity. If we're honest, we know that marriage is a gift, too - and it's a sign that points to God's promised union with us. However, I think some of us need to remember that singleness is also a gift - and it points to our eternal state as sufficient in Jesus here, now, and forevermore.

If you are single, what can you do to embrace this time to grow closer to your Heavenly Father? Take this time to learn more about God's character. Serve God and your community with your time. Use your singleness as an adventure to follow where God is leading you. God has so much for you to embrace as a single person. So, release your gift of singleness into the world, step into your calling and become the men and women that history will shape itself around!