No dating system is perfect.  But we should still strive to honor God in how we find a spouse.  I find it interesting that when I read Christian biographies, how Christian couples got together is rarely emphasized.  Their examples teach us that personal godliness – not dating, courtship, or betrothal – is what made their marriages what they were.

The same is true of us.  How we respond to the gospel is the primary factor in making us who we are and in guiding how we navigate the road to marriage.  The importance of having a biblical plan for relationships cannot be overstated.  My prayer is that this book will cause you to evaluate your thinking and become more Christlike as a result.  May God grant you His wisdom in your relationships and the satisfaction found only in salvation through Jesus Christ.

Click here to read Part III.

⁵¹D. Edmond Hiebert, "1 & 2 Thessalonians" (Chicago:  Moody, 1992), 184.
⁵²Leon Morris, cited in Hiebert, 186.
⁵³Anthony C. Thiselton, "The New International Greek Testament Commentary:  The First Epistle to the Corinthians" (Grand Rapids, MI:  Eerdmans, 2000), 498-501.

Taken from "5 Paths to the Love of Your Life" by Lauren Winner, Jeramy Clark and Jerusha Clark, Douglas Wilson, Rick Holland and Jonathan Lindvall.  General editor:  Alex Chediak.  This content is used by permission of NavPress, and the book is available at your local bookstore or at www.navpress.com.

Dr. Rick Holland is the pastor of College and Student Ministries at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and an instructor at The Master's College and Seminary.  Rick is a regular conference speaker, both nationally and internationally, and preaches weekly to a ministry of over one thousand collegians.  Rick and his wife, Kim, have three sons.