Dating for the Glory of God - The Crosswalk Devotional - July 17

PLUS...10 Signs of Emotional Abuse in a Relationship  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ &zwnj [Crosswalk.com Logo]( The Crosswalk Devotional  [Devotionals](        [Newsletters](        [e-Cards](      [The Crosswalk Devotional]( Dating for the Glory of God By Emily Rose Massey “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” - [1 Peter 1:14-16]( NASB The term “courting” for many young people (and even among Baby Boomers) seems to be a bit outdated and foreign. Courting is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary to mean “seeking the affections of- especially: seeking to win a pledge of [marriage]( from.” It seems that instead of being cautious in the pursuit of romantic relationships, oftentimes, the whole process of dating can be treated much like the pursuit to finding the perfect pair of jeans- the ones that don’t fit, get thrown to the side until we find just the right one. Or it is a try-on session simply for fun. There should be nothing casual about it; everything in the relationship should be very intentional and purposefully pointing towards marriage. As Christians, ultimately, we must long to glorify God in our pursuit of a spouse. Dating can often be very self-focused and self-serving, where we are looking more for what the other person can do for us and how they can make us happy. In the ultimate goal of pursuing marriage, as Christians, we know that type of self-centered mentality is not how God describes how we should treat one another in marriage. The wife is to submit to her husband as unto the Lord, and the husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the Church ([Ephesians 5:22-33](. Hopefully, Christian couples are looking to the Bible for the direction of their relationship and long to obey.  [CONTINUE READING →](            You May Also Like:        [10 Signs of Emotional Abuse in a Relationship](  Jen Grice Any relationship can include emotional abuse. At the core of all abuse is the need to have power and control. Any one of us can feel the need to control things or someone else. It becomes a real problem when someone is being emotionally or physically hurt because of that need for power and control. This is when a relationship has reached a toxic level and needs an intervention. Toxic relationships left to escalate could lead to dangerous situations where no one is safe.  [CONTINUE READING →](       [6 Reasons Why I’m So Excited to Be a Christian in 2023](  Kelly-Jayne McGlynn 2023 is a beautiful, exhilarating period of time for Christians of all ages, genders, and races to grow deeper in their relationships with God.  [CONTINUE READING →](            [Country Singer Brings The Tears With Original Song For Late Father On AGT](  GodTube.com One man’s simple yet beautiful country song about his father on America’s Got Talent left several with tears streaming down their faces.  [WATCH NOW →](        [10 Lies Satan Feeds Us about Worship](  Joe McKeever Our enemy will wait, and scheme, and hunt for any sign of weakness in our lives. It shouldn’t come as any shock that he’ll try to sabotage our worship.  [CONTINUE READING →](                            Bible Trivia Question of the Day                                           Besides Philemon, to whom else is the book of Philemon addressed? A. Apphia B. Archipus C. to the church in Philemon's house D. all of the above [ANSWER THE QUESTION →](     [Crosswalk.com Logo](  [Read about Salem Web Network](  |  [Unsubscribe](   [Email Preference Center](  |  [View in Browser](   © 2023 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Crosswalk. Â