Therefore if you have
any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love,
if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then
make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit
and of one mind. Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above
yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests
of the others. Philippians 2:1-4
My wife sent me something that said, “Marriage is a gift
from God to us. The quality of our
marriage is our gift to Him.” I immediately
felt inspired by those words. The
wording spoke to something far deeper than just a relationship between married couples. It speaks to our humanity; our need to be
connected to our God and to others.
Wouldn’t our lives be so much better if we strived to make relationships
with others a gift to God? In Romans
12:1 Paul says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s
mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to
God—this is your true and proper worship.”
For us as Christians to live our lives looking to please God, we cannot
do so without engaging and spending our time with others in healthy and authentic
relationships.
What we give of ourselves for God’s sake must include
valuing the relationships we have with others.
We can have a great impact giving ourselves selflessly for the greater
good of others. Furthermore, it is in
the precious time that we spend with others that our relationship with God is
unveiled. Think of someone who spent
time with you in your time of need. How valuable
was it to you? What did it mean to
you? The times people remember most are
not the best of times when all is well.
It is when things are not all together and they are at their worst. Jesus, when sharing of His Kingdom, spoke of
those who would join Him saying, “For I was hungry and
you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed
me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit
me.” (Matthew 25:35-36) Quality of a relationship is never about things
always being perfect. It is about
embracing all that comes with it sharing the unconditional love Jesus Christ shows
us.
Our relationship with Christ is the standard by which all
relationships should be based on. If we
do not have a relationship with God where we cannot give as God gives, love as
He loves, and encourages as He encourages us, we cannot have healthy
relationships with others. Thus, it is
impossible to honor God unless with have fellowship with others that is
authentic and looking at the interest of others above our own. It would only make sense for as John 3:16
says, “For God so loved the world that
he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life.” That’s what
He did for us. Why would you not give to
others as He has given for you? What
relationship in your life requires greater selflessness? How can you honor God more in your
relationships with others? My prayer is
that we focus raising the bar in the quality of our relationships with
others. Amen.
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