by Elder Johnny Kim

With summer behind us, the Single Life ministry had been gearing up for the new term which started in October. Since the Single Life year typically follows the academic year, in some sense, it feels as though we too are heading back to school. With that mentality, we find ourselves thinking ahead, anticipating what we might learn and experience in the upcoming year, determined to do our best to make it profitable and fruitful. Whether it’s through the Wednesday night Bible studies, the fellowship with like-minded brothers and sisters, or through the accountability we receive in small groups, opportunities abound for us to grow spiritually within the Single Life ministry. However, to borrow more from the analogy to school, unfortunately we can sometimes find ourselves fired up at the beginning of the year, resolved to make the most of those opportunities for the sake of our spiritual growth only to find that after a month or so, that fire of determination has fizzled out. We put our lives on cruise control and coast for the rest of the year without making much headway or progress, but doing enough just to “get by”. If we could be given the ability to take a snapshot of our spiritual state at the beginning of the year and at the end, one might even be hard pressed to see any difference.

As we look forward to this upcoming year in Single Life, it’s a good time to be reminded that the Christian life in general is meant to be a life of ongoing sanctification. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul likens our Christian life to a race and like those who run in a race, we are to be constantly moving forward, pressing on and striving towards greater Christ-likeness in our lives. Those who run in a race, be it the 100 meter dash or a marathon, don’t stop to rest or to lie down and take a break in the middle of it, or worse, start going in the opposite direction. In the same way, Christian sanctification means that we are continually seeking to be more like Christ. To anyone observing a race, it’s clear the direction that the runners are headed. To anyone observing a Christian life, it should be just as clear that it’s a life headed in the direction of holiness.

The Single Life ministry is for those who desire to run the Christian race together. It’s a ministry devoted to the sanctification of singles and for those who desire to become more like Christ in every aspect of life (2 Corinthians 3:18). With each passing week, with every message preached, and with every small group accountability meeting, we should find ourselves that much closer to walking like Christ, talking like Christ, and loving like Christ. And as we worship together as one body, we are to constantly encourage one another and exhort one another toward that end. Throughout this year, my hope is that the singles would gain a greater understanding of God and who He is, a deeper desire and hunger for His Word, and a greater love for Christ and more joy in obeying Him. And at the end of this Single Life year, my hope is that we could somehow look back to the image of our spiritual lives now and see a difference that would be unmistakably clear and unmistakably positive.

For all of us who are Christian, regardless of whether we’re in Single Life or not, sanctification is going to be a lifelong process (Proverbs 20:9). And as long as we are sinners and as long as God is holy, we will face a constant struggle to conform our lives to the standard in His Word. It is a process that doesn’t let up, nor should it ever slow down even as we get older. So then, for all those who seek to be sanctified, the question we need to ask ourselves at the end of each day is simple: “Does my life look more like Christ’s today than it did yesterday?”