Has your Relation-ship come in?

It’s easy for me to be unsocial. Too easy! My work, my son and my daily life lately, have been drawing me away from other people. I have been locking myself in my office, at home, and shutting out the outside world. I have released myself from some of the responsibilities and offerings. I am restraining my service heart.

This has strained my relationships with my friends, God and even from developing newer relationships. As a result, I hurt myself and others. Please, forgive me!

Relationships are God inspired but they can also hurt. The closer you get to people, the deeper those people can hurt you. We build up walls because we’re afraid of being betrayed or laughed at, being judged or abandoned. So we avoid real community with other Christians, places where we really let down our guard get involved in the lives of other Christians.

In the first chapter of Philippians, Paul starts right off talking about relationships. That is because relationships are important. If relationships are bad – life is bad – life stinks. If relationships are strained – emotions are strained. Life in itself is difficult enough – but when you add relationship problems into the mix – problems just seem to compound. Problems with people can kill the joy in your life.

Do you enjoy the people you’re around? Do you enjoy the people that you work with? Do you enjoy the people in your family? Do you enjoy the person that you’re married to?

The issue I find is that many relationships are more a matter of endurance than enjoyment. We don’t really enjoy the people in our lives – we tolerate them – we put up with them – we endure them.

This is one of the biggest causes of unhappiness in our world. Conflict kills happiness. There is a daily struggle to live in a world where there is no conflict. Whether it is nation against nation or family member against another family member to live conflict free is a struggle.

How do you handle the conflict? To have a successful business the employees must get along and work together. To have a successful football team the players must work together. To have successful government the congress and the president must cooperate. To have a successful family the members must work together. To have a successful church we must work together. Very little is accomplished in life by yourself. Very little is accomplished without cooperation. When there is unity there is tremendous power and potential. The problem is people don’t always get along – they don’t always co-operate. How do you strive for unity? How do you reduce conflict and increase cooperation?

In Philippians chapter two Paul talks about how to have unity and co-operation with others

“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” Philippians 2:1-2

Paul says we are to be like minded. We are to show the love to one another – because Christ has loved us. We are to display mercy and grace – because that is what God has shown us. We are to put on the mind of Christ and if we did that we will be like-minded – in unity and harmony.

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” Philippians 2:3

All too often we compete with people who are supposed to be on our team. What type of team will ever win if they a busy competing with themselves – rather than working together?

“Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” Philippians 2:4

Don’t just be interested in what is going on your life - but be interested in the lives of other people too. Look out for them.

The Greek word for “look” is "scopos" from which we get the word "scope” – like the scope on a rifle. A Telescope – a microscope – both helps you see things better. Care about the lives of other people. Pay attention to their needs.

Demonstrate consideration of others. Be considerate of each other. Watch out for one another. Take care of one another. Nothing I’m saying is new – but doing it is harder than saying it. Face the facts…

God wants us to enjoy people!

How do we do that? Here are 4 points that God encourages us to enjoy other people:

1) Be Thankful - “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” Philippians 1:3-4
2) PRAY for the people in your life - “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy.” Philippians 1:3-4
3) Be PATIENT with the people in your life - “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
4) LOVE the people in your life - “Above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8

Help me out here...

lets work on our relationship in Christ and each other.

Lying around

So here’s the story. When I first started working for this new company in February, I was told to beware. I was told to beware that at least, once a week, I would have a bad day at work. Customers issues would be impossible, calls would be difficult and it would generally be a bad day.

For some reason, I bought into this lie. Since I started, it seemed, every Wednesday I would have a bad day. I work for a Christian based company by the way.

A lot of people believe that all truth is relative. In other words, there is no absolute truth it all depends on your point of view or circumstance. Lies can literally ruin your life. And lies can come from a host of sources. Some of the lies we believe come from our own heads (see above).

Other lies come from the culture around us. They can be called earthly lies. These lies may arrive in the form of advertising, educational institutions, philosophies, media, books, magazine articles, TV shows, movies, music and so much more.

Earthly lies surround us every day. We must learn to guard our minds against the assault of so called earthly wisdom. One of the most pervasive lies in American culture is, “worth is determined by my performance”.

We feel this performance pressure in our jobs or at school. We experience the "keep up with the Jones’" pressure in the neighborhood. We compare our financial success, our family status, and even our spiritual status with people at work, in the neighborhood, and even at church.

I’ll let you in on a little secret, EVERYONE (All people, without exception) falls into this trap all the time. The problem with the “worth = performance” lie is that sooner or later we all come to the end. In this “do it yourself world” you can’t do it yourself. You’ve heard the Home Depot motto, “You can do it, and we can help”?

Welcome to God Depot….”God can do it, with or without your help”

Sooner or later we must focus on an uncomfortable question “Who am I apart from what I do? Am I a human BEING or just a human DOING?”

The most destructive earthly lie is I am what I am – I can’t change – I’m hopeless
This could be called the blame game or like I call it, Name the Shame. It’s what makes someone think, ”I’ve always had a short temper, it’s just how I Am.” Or “I’m hopelessly addicted to Cigarette’s and I’ll never be able to overcome It.” (care to hear my testimony on this one?), or “What they did to me was so bad that I can never forgive them.” Or “What I did was so bad that I can never forgive myself.”

ALL LIES!!!

Christian life is all about change. I feel that way sometimes with my church. I think back … and look at my friends now, “Wow, look how they’ve grown!” We may not always be aware of our spiritual growth. But God sees it and exclaims, “Look how you’ve grown!”

This is the TRUTH of the Christian life. Every day you’re growing more like Jesus Christ, God is transforming you from one degree of glory to another.

Our part is to BELIEVE the truth. The problem is that our conscience can sometimes mess us up. Before you become a Christian, the only thing your conscience could do was to condemn. But when Jesus comes into your life, condemnation is overwhelmed by grace.

Romans 8:1-2
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Replace the LIES of Satan with God’s truth:

1. sins can be overcome
2. addictions can be broken
3. diseases can be healed
4. financial needs can be met
5. relationships can be resurrected
6. God can give you the power to forgive yourself and others

When I was believing the lie of a bad day, Satan was in control. Now, I no longer believe this. When I sit to start my work, I claim, “Today is going to be a great day!” and I start my work day, as well as my mornings, in prayer.