Congratulations on your engagement! This can be a wonderful time for you and your future partner. Make the most of your engagement by including the Lord Jesus in everything you do. Here are the top ten best things to do during your engagement.

  1. This is a good time to be absolutely sure you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior (John 1:12). Has there been a time you have invited Christ into your life?

2. How very important it is to be absolutely sure your mate knows the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior (2 Corinthians 6:14). The Apostle Paul’s illustration of being “yoked” together may be hard for you to picture. In  Biblical times, during times of plowing, a large wooden harness was placed over the neck and shoulders of the oxen. The term “unequally yoked together” comes from the Old Testament law found in Deuteronomy 22:10 which forbids the harnessing of an ox and donkey together.  It would never work!  Neither fit in such a relationship, and both would find it painful. One animal was suitable for sacrifice, and the other was not. The parallels are very clear. When a believer marries an unbeliever, it is going to be painful and neither fit in such a relationship.

3. Remember you and your fiancé are most likely putting the best foot forward. Spend some time really getting to know your fiancé by investing time using the “Good Questions for Engaged Couples” material.

4. Make the appointment for your premarital counseling. I cannot stress the importance of being diligent in preparing for your journey of a lifetime. See “From This Day Forward—Preparing Couples for the Journey of a Lifetime” available at Regular Baptist Press (www.rbpstore.org).

5. Spend some time working on your budget and finances. Take note of the similarities and differences you and fiancé share when it comes to finances. Have you worked on a budget? Check out the article “We Can’t Live on Love Alone—Our Financial Situation.”

6. Do you and your fiancé have specific times of individually and together reading the Bible and praying? What part does the Lord Jesus play in your daily life and your engagement?

7. Do you have a couple that serve as an example of a godly marriage? What if you and your fiancé asked to spend some time with them to talk about marriage and the making of a godly home? If so, ask them how they met, how they knew they were right for each other, how the Lord has worked in their lives, and what some of the key suggestions are that they would make as you prepare for your wedding.

8. Make a list of things that must be done as you prepare for your wedding. Start early. Plan wisely. Spend carefully. Determine to make your wedding a godly wedding and one that honors the Lord.

9. Always seek to communicate carefully but especially in the weeks and months before your wedding. Be sure to talk through things with your fiancé and those involved in your wedding. Don’t assume people know what you are thinking. It is amazing and saddening to see how many hurt feelings occur during this happy period of time. Most of the problems are because of a lack of good communication.

10. Enjoy this time. Don’t let anything rob you of the joy of this season of your life. This truly is a once in a lifetime experience.

Our engagement: The period of time when my beloved and I prepare

to begin our journey of a lifetime together and to let

the whole world know that we are reserved for each other!