Q: Contrary to many people's desire to have a g/f or b/f, I'm very satisfied with my single life~I'm very content with the luxurious amount of time I have in developing my skills and focusing on building a career. Is it wrong that I don't want to date or marry?

A:  Being single AND being fine with being single is a very blessed thing.  The Apostle Paul was a single guy and it was a good thing.

"Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband." -1 Cor 7:1-2

"I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that." -1 Cor 7:7

It is clear that Paul thought that singleness was A GIFT.  A good thing.  We need to assure people today that being single is not a bad thing or peer pressure others to get into relationships.  But it is important to understand the key part of this passage:  a spiritual gift from God is not to be used selfishly but used to glorify God!  Everything Paul stood for would ultimately be testifying to the glory and knowledge of God and the good news of Jesus.  This should be no different today!

I think it is a great thing that you are satisfied in singleness, and treat it as a gift from God, but this gift should not be used to serve ourselves.  We are blessed to be a blessing to others, just as Abraham was in Genesis.  We need to use our lives to further God's kingdom, make Jesus known and glorify Him.  This can possibly be done in developing our skills and developing our career, but we can't forget what comes first!  When we are blessed with skills and good careers, it should be to glorify God and not ourselves.  We need to have ambition in life, but the ambition starts with God and to further HIS kingdom, not to further out personal kingdoms.

Lastly, if you do someday start burning with desire for a wife/husband, Paul also affirms this desire:

"But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." -1 Cor 7:9

We need to affirm both singleness and marriage because the bible calls us to, but ultimately, it's important to remember that both are a gift from God and both are given to:

1)  Glorify God and further His Kingdom

2)  Bless the individual

3)  Bless those around us

[answered by Pastor Shu-Ling]