During the month of March, I am forming a bouquet of blog posts using a variety of “roses” that will be formed with these petals from the basket : (1) a quotation, (2) a daily verse, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a book dealing with that day’s topic, and (5) an idea to put into practice!

Petal 1: “…it matters not whether we are married or single, but that we are obedient.” —David Hoffeditz, They Were Single Too

Petal 2: “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.” (John 14:21, NLT)

Petal 3: I have a strong belief that you serve God where you are, in the way He leads, and to the glory of His Son, Jesus Christ—period. Marrieds, please don’t try to come up with soothing reasons or pious explanations as to why someone is “still” single. Singles, please don’t wait to serve Him until your relationship status changes, and remember that it’s not a matter of “accepting” the fact that you’re single. If we truly believe in a sovereign God, we know that He’s in charge of how He wants us to serve Him, and the only thing He tells us to accept are His commandments!

Petal 4: They Were Single Too: 8 Biblical Role Models, by David Hoffeditz, “takes a fresh new look by examining the lives of eight individuals from Scripture who were single at some point in their adult lives.” This is one of those rare books about singleness that I highly recommend, because it applies to both married and single readers!

Petal 5: Think of a single man or woman from your church or community and pray for him or her today. Sometime in the week ahead, send a card or e-mail thanking that person for a positive contribution he or she has made to your life or to the lives of others.