IKDG Chapter 1 review

Ok, So like I mentioned earlier I plan on writing some thoughts about I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris as I read it. I finished the first chapter along with the study guide this week.

The first chapter teaches about "smart love". It refers to Phillipians 1:9-10 which states "God not only wants me to act differently, He wants me to think differently- to view love, purity, and singleness from His perspective, to have a new lifestyle and attitude." In smart love we must use our heads as well as our hearts.  Mr Harris says "By avoiding romance before God tells me I'm ready for it, I can better serve girls as a friend, and I can remain free to keep my focus on the Lord. [...] God wants us to seek guidance from scriptural truth, not feeling. Smart love looks beyond personal desires and the gratification of the moment. It looks at the big picture: serving others and glorifying God." Mr. Harris also uses two other scriptures in this chapter: Matthew 10:29 and Luke 12:2.

I am using the study guide designed by Joshua Harris as I read this book, reading and answering the questions in a notebook as I go. I am not going to write and answer the questions on here as they get lengthy and somewhat personal, but I will however include bits and pieces. As I mentioned in a previous post the first time I read this book as a 15 year old freshman in high school, I was very innocent and naive at that time. I think that reading this book 11 years later will most definitely give me a different perspective.  Ten years ago I had difficulty just getting past the title, who would want to kiss dating goodbye? Certainly not me, I hadn't even begun dating yet! Today is a little different, I have had relationships, some serious, some not so serious, some that last for several years, others only hours long. I currently am not dating, but sometimes I feel as if I am missing out on something, so I am re-reading this book in hopes of renewing my faith and personal relationship with Christ, making it better than it was in high school. In the last several years my focus has not been in the right place. My focus has been on myself, my roommate, work, family, everything but God. I have forgotten who it is I should be trying to please, not myself, not others, but God and only God and in return I will be blessed by Him.  This chapter, and the Philippians verse (1:9-10) challenges.encourages me to learn what and how to "love appropriately" so that I can love intelligently, love much, and love well, to avoid "sentimental gush".

Joshua states on last statement in the study guide that I feel pertinent to remember "Obedience to God looks boring- pursuing the world and its pleasures appears tantalizing." We have to remember while it may appear tantalizing now, the effects of being obedient to God will have much bigger and better results in the end.

Thanks for reading, and if anyone would like to discuss this book, I'd love to, feel free to contact me!