What dating in the kingdom means to us.  Dating in the Kingdom is such an amazing process. There is absolutely no pressure from either side to live up to the worldly, shallow way of dating. In the Kingdom of God we practice building amazing friendships with all of our brothers and sisters. This friendship building happens before and after church service, devotionals, Bible Talk, midweek service and group outings. As you build quality (not shallow) friendships, you have the opportunity to truly get to know the individual without any expectations.

 

 

There are three things I believe dating in the Kingdom represents: #1 – dating in the kingdom is a privilege. In Romans 6:23, the Bible says, “for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus”. According to that scripture, we deserve death. However, God in his infinite mercy gave us the gift of eternal life. Our relationship with God is what matters the most. When Chanell (my fiancé) and I started dating, I knew it was a blessing from God. The Lord has allowed me to build a friendship with someone I don’t deserve. James said it best in James 1:17: ”every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows”. My fiance is a good and perfect gift from above. The more I see her in this way (which is what she is), the more our relationship will thrive. #2 – dating in the kingdom transforms you. Someone once told me; ”if you want to live like Christ, stay single. But if you want to be like Christ, get married”.

 

You will definitely begin to transform when the right woman comes into your life. This transformation could either improve your growth or make you bitter and quit. My fiance helps me to be more like Christ every day. I’m learning to put her needs above my own and making every effort to encourage her daily. I am definitely not the same person since God put her into my life. #3 – dating in the Kingdom is Awesome! It’s amazing to be with someone who you can have fun with, joke, laugh with, share life’s ups/downs with, and pray with. Someone who has the same convictions, and hold to the same standard of Christ. We both take our relationship with God very seriously. We understand that he is the source of our happiness not each other.

 

I’m grateful to have a fiance who loves me not because of what I have but because of my relationship with God. This is what sets Kingdom dating apart from the world. The foundation of the relationship is God and the word of God. We obey the scriptures in all regards and apply the word to our relationship.

Mike and Chanell