Single Servings

By Lee Warren

If you're a single Christian who is grappling with loneliness, physical desires, and unmet expectations, Lee Warren's Single Servings is here to help.

In this insightful book, Warren—a single Christian himself—offers ninety daily devotions that offer practical and spiritual guidance for navigating the challenges of single life. He doesn't shy away from the difficulties of the journey but instead encourages readers to find satisfaction in Christ, reminding them that they are not alone in their struggles.

Each devotion is accompanied by questions that encourage reflection and action, making Single Servings a valuable tool for anyone who is seeking greater fulfillment and wholeness in Christ. If you're ready to embrace your single life and overcome the obstacles that have held you back, pick up a copy of Single Servings today.

Lee Warrenhas been a singles columnist for Christianity Today Online and CBN and has also written articles for Decision, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, The Christian Examiner, Baptist Press, and many other publications.

This is the second edition of this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lee Warren
• Release date: Sep 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223756286

Lee Warren

Other Titles by Lee Warren  In This Series Mercy Inn: A Christmas Novella (The Mercy Inn Series, Book 1) Comeback: A Mercy Inn Series Short Story Essays Common Grounds: Contemplations, Confessions, and (Unexpected) Connections from the Coffee Shop Sacred Grounds: First Loves, First Experiences, and First Favorites Higher Grounds: When God Steps into the Here and Now Devotionals and Gift Books Single Servings: 90 Devotions to Feed Your Soul Fun Facts for Sports Lovers  Inspiring Thoughts for Golfers Racin’ Flat Out for Christ: Spiritual Lessons from the World of NASCAR The Experience of Christmas: Devotions & Activities for Families Finishing Well: Living with the End in Mind (A Devotional) Flying Solo: 30 Devotions to Encourage the Never-Married Writing Write That Devotional Book: From Dream to Reality Write That Book in 30 Days: Daily Inspirational Readings You can find out more about Lee Warren’s books here: http://www.leewarren.info/books Subscribe to Lee’s email list to receive a FREE copy of his Finishing Well: Living with the End in Mind devotional e-book. You will also receive notifications about discounts on his newest books, and become eligible for random giveaways. Sign up here: http://www.leewarren.info/email-list Follow Lee on social media: https://www.facebook.com/leewarrenauthor https://twitter.com/leewarren Visit Lee’s website: http://www.leewarren.info

Book preview

Lee Warren

Single Servings

90 Devotions to Encourage and Inspire Christian Singles

Copyright © 2023 by Lee Warren

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

Unless otherwise noted, scripture is taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2000; 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked (AMP) are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Personal names may be changed in the manuscript to protect people’s identities.

Cover design: Tonya Masters Ludwig.

This book was originally published in 2005.

Second edition

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

To Mom, for believing in me.

To Dad, for listening to me.

To Joy, who believed in my writing long before I did.

To Vicki, for helping me clarify my message.

To my friends, for cheering me on.

Contents

Preface

I. COMMUNITY

1. The Need for Others

2. Finding Community

3. Wedding Depression

4. Knowing Your Neighbors

5. All I Had Was God

6. Single and Forgotten

7. A Long Drive

8. The God Who Never Fails

9. Spurring Each Other On

10. The Soothing Sound of a Low Whisper

II. COMPLETENESS

11. Five Marriages Later

12. The Perfect Spouse

13. Our Unknown God

14. The Company Picnic Blues

15. One in Christ Jesus

16. God-Given Satisfaction

17. The Satisfaction of Spiritual Maturity

18. He Loved the Unlovely

19. Guilty of the Unthinkable

20. In God’s Likeness

III. EMOTIONAL HEALTH

21. Sticks and Stones Are Nothing Compared to Words

22. Just the Way You Are

23. Daddy’s Gone

24. Recovering from Bad Choices

25. Run to the Refuge

26. The Good Ol’ Days

27. Trusting God for Employment

28. No More Grudges

29. From a Curse to a Blessing

30. A Higher Standard

IV. PHYSICAL DESIRES

31. Out with the Old, In with the New

32. Longing Eyes, Running Legs

33. First Kisses, No Second Guesses

34. Quick! Where’s the Escape Hatch?

35. The Power to Endure

36. Starving the Flesh Dog

37. The Ripple Effect of Sexual Impurity

38. A Covenant with My Eyes

39. For God’s Glory

40. Our Spiritual Act of Worship

V. LONGING FOR LOVE

41. God’s Road

42. Eyes for Another God

43. The Bigger Picture

44. Delight Yourself in the Lord

45. What Drives Your Longing?

46. Civilian Affairs

47. Staying the Course

48. Panting for God’s Commands

49. False Satisfaction

50. Let Nothing Move You

VI. GOD’S TIMING

51. Finding Love in a Harvest Field

52. Compelled to Action?

53. No Unfinished Packages

54. Our Timing Stinks

55. Preparing to Go

56. In God’s Perfect Timing

57. Time to Move?

58. Not Now

59. When It Is Not Our Time

60. On Being a Chicken

VII. NO FAIR!

61. A Healthy Dose of Fear

62. The Lord Is Our Portion

63. The Demands of Our Sin Nature

64. Why Those Twelve?

65. Promotion Comes from God

66. I Am Supposed to Get Married First!

67. God’s Things, God’s Way

68. Why Can’t I Look Like That?

69. I Have No Answer

70. Whatever Pleases Him

VIII. EXPECTATIONS

71. Death Leads to Life

72. Our Expectations versus God’s Plan

73. The Problem with Expectations

74. God’s Ways Bring Fulfillment

75. Good Expectations

76. My Expectation Is from Him

77. Eating with Unwashed Hands

78. Parental Pressure

79. Dealing with Stumbling Blocks

80. A Friend on a Mission

IX. EMBRACING LIFE

81. Do What Your Hand Finds to Do

82. Embracing Time Alone

83. Joy in Service

84. Celebrating Valentine’s Day as a Single

85. Planning Financially for the Future

86. Gathering for the Harvest

87. Your Life Has Already Begun

88. Postcard Hospitality

89. The Freedom to Go

90. I Like Being Single

Other Titles by Lee Warren

I found this to be a valuable book, not only in edifying me but also in helping me to understand the unique challenges faced by singles. -Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer

Single Christians are often overlooked in the church and in other areas of life. This devotional touches them right where they are. -Tara Dawn Christensen, Miss America 1997, speaker and singer

Single Servings is one of the most relevant, well-written books on the market for single adults. Every single adult ministry needs to buy this book by the case to use for small group discussion or individual study. -Carmen Leal, author and speaker

I wish this book had been around when I was single. Warren’s devotions are insightful, thought-provoking, and above all, encouraging. It’s tough to be single when you’re surrounded by couples and families, but Single Servings points out that God’s plan is perfect for everyone, and His timing is always the best. Highly recommended. -Kathleen Fuller, Amazon reviewer

If you’re single, you need to get this book—you’ll find yourself eager to spend time with it each day. If you’re married, this book will give you better insight on how to minister to the singles in your church, community, workplace, or family. -Kaye, Amazon reviewer

Preface

When I was writing this book nineteen years ago, I had the privilege of talking to Elisabeth Elliot after sending her some sample devotions. She told me (through her husband Lars) that her time for speaking to the singles of my generation had passed and that it was my turn (meaning my generation of communicators). I felt both the privilege and weight of that when this book was originally released in 2005.

Now in my mid-fifties, I’m starting to understand what Elliot was talking about. One of the examples she gave me was the way my generation uses the word relationship to define what her generation called going steady or courtship. I think she was gently pointing out that calling it a relationship made it feel like less of a commitment. We have relationships with our bankers, doctors, and favorite waitresses, but they can move on anytime without a word or explanation. They don’t feel any obligation to stay with us. Elliot didn’t say any of this, but it was the impression I got. And as I think about younger generations that use the phrase hanging out instead of relationship, I think I get her point.

Each generation faces its own challenges, and there comes a time when it becomes difficult to relate to those challenges, especially as the language and cultural beliefs change. With that said, Titus 2 tells us that older generations are responsible for living their faith in front of younger generations. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women are to be reverent in behavior and to teach what is good, training young women in a myriad of ways. So I feel a tension between using language and illustrations I’m familiar with while still trying to convey biblical truth to people who might be younger than me, hoping they can follow what I’m saying.

With all of this in mind, as I reviewed each devotion in this book for the first time in nearly two decades, I decided not to rewrite them. I tweaked the entries here and there, but you’ll still see references to music CDs, promise rings, and other dated material. The good news is, biblical truth doesn’t change or age. Neither do the universal struggles that we all face. Singles still experience loneliness, feelings of incompleteness, longing for love, unmet expectations, and all of the other needs you’ll find addressed in this book. For that reason, the stories of the singles I interviewed still hold up remarkably well. As such, it felt like a good idea to release this book back into the world.

As you spend time each day with these devotions over the next three months, I hope you’ll take time to contemplate the Bible verses and Going Deeper section. Maybe jot down your answers to the five going deeper questions in a notebook. I’ve found that putting my thoughts down on paper cements them in my mind and heart. Maybe that’ll work for you too.

Lee Warren (June 2023)

I

Community

Have you ever experienced the loneliness of a solitary Saturday night? Anything you do—from watching a movie to reading a good book—seems to magnify your feelings. Nobody is there to laugh with you during the comical parts of the movie or listen to you read a passage from a book. The answer to loneliness is biblical community. Let’s explore what that looks like so that the next time feelings of loneliness threaten to overwhelm us, we’ll be equipped to handle them.

1

The Need for Others

Then the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.

(Genesis 2:18)

Carmen’s first Christmas as a single mother was incredibly difficult. Happy couples were everywhere—at church, shopping malls, and every party she attended. As the holidays loomed ever nearer, with increasing dread, she faced the thought of being alone.

Carmen’s struggle with loneliness isn’t uncommon for single people.

Singles know Genesis 2:18 well, don’t we? We read it, nod our heads in agreement, and ask, Where is my helper? and If it is not good for man to be alone, then why am I? However, Adam’s situation differed from our own because he was the only human being on the planet at the time. He was literally alone.

That’s not something we have to experience today. The world is full of people who want contact with others. Sometimes singles think that the only way we can overcome loneliness is to find a spouse. Instead, we should realize that people all around us are seeking a connection with someone. While it is certainly possible to feel alone in a crowd, we wouldn’t if we were more willing to turn to someone in the crowd and interact.

Churches and many civic groups offer chances to interact with people. Every church I’ve ever been involved with offers Bible studies and fellowship opportunities. Hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons are full of people who would love to have someone to talk to regularly.

Here’s what Carmen did. My solution was to reach out to other single-parent families and invite them to my home for an open house. Families were invited to stop by between one and five o’clock on Christmas Day and bring something to share. What a great day! People came early and stayed late.

Carmen didn’t wait to find a community; she created one.

Digging Deeper into Genesis 2:18

List two or three groups or organizations you’ve considered joining.

How often do you initiate conversations with strangers?

What barriers do you experience to starting a conversation?

Next time you are at a mall or party or anywhere that brings people together, watch how people interact. Find one person who seems relaxed talking with strangers and identify the things he or she says.

Name one thing you can do to meet your need for community that would also meet the needs of other singles for community.

2

Finding Community

God sets the lonely in families.

(Psalm 68:6 NIV)

King David knew something about loneliness when he wrote this psalm. In his youth, he was a shepherd. He undoubtedly spent countless hours