HEARTLIGHT ® Magazine: Single...Not Alone: "Was Jesus a Single Christian?"

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Was Jesus a Single Christian?
by Cary Branscum
 
Was Jesus a single Christian?
That’s a trick question. Jesus was single and a follower of God, but the term Christian obviously was not used to describe the followers of Jesus until later on in the book of Acts. Jesus was, and is, the Son of God. He was also single. In fact, the apostle Paul was single too!
It is impossible to count the number of books written about Jesus, and it seems almost impossible to write something about Him that has not already been written many times over. In spite of that, I want to share with you some insights for our lives from Jesus’ life as a faithful single.

His singleness helped his mission.
Christ ushered in the dawning of the kingdom of God in three short years of ministry. This task seems unbelievable from a human point of view. Here was an itinerant preacher, teacher, healer, and spiritual leader. He went from place to place in a small geographical area and ended up changing the world. He had to be mobile. He had to move quickly. His single status was useful. Question: Do YOU have a mission that so consumes your life that you are helped by mobility? Or do you simply feel rootless and drifting. Let me give you a newsflash: If you don’t have a life mission, you will always feel rootless and drifting. If you have a life mission, God can use your singleness to be more effective at accomplishing it!

He had time for quality relationships.
Scripture is clear about our responsibility to provide for our families. This includes quality and quantity time together. Our society is suffering from too little time spent on precious relationships. This means by definition that time spent with family will impede time spent on other relationships. Jesus was able to invest his time in his relationship with God the Father, with the twelve (especially Peter, James, and John), and with the crowds who were seeking Him because of his freedom from building a physical family. QUESTION: Are you using, investing, or wasting your time? We waste time with everything from TV to junk mail. We use our time when doing the things we have to do. Most important, we INVEST our time when we build relationships with God and others. Are you using your singleness as a tool for investing in others?

He was able to simplify his life to what really mattered.
When Zorba the Greek was asked if he was married, he replied yes, in fact he had a wife, children, the whole catastrophe! A married person has a lot of material baggage. My own marriage has lasted twenty-four years so far. My wife will tell you some of those years were good ones. My wife has never considered divorce — murder? Yes, she has considered that, but not divorce. When we first married, everything we owned fit into a Ford Pinto. Now, it takes a huge truck to move us, and we’ve even gotten rid of a lot of stuff! It seems to take so much of everything to be a family. There are times when I yearn for those Pinto days. Life was harder, but simpler then. Think about this: When Jesus died, the only thing he owned was his robe, and they cast lots for that garment at the foot of the cross. He invested his life in what mattered most and didn’t let the junk clutter up his priorities. He could do that best because he was single!

Question: Is your life clean or cluttered? How can you follow Thoreau’s advice and Jesus’ example to simplify, simplify, simplify?
Mobility, time and simplicity! In the future, we will look at other factors to emulate in the life of Jesus. Begin working on these three right now. It will change your life, get you closer to God and others, and make you feel abundant. Begin today using the advantages of your singleness to be used in his service!