Guidelines to Healthy Relationships
GOD'S SPECIAL TREASURE
Read Exodus 19:3-6
I often reflect on how amazing my life has turned out despite the challenging circumstances. My mother was schizophrenic, I was abandoned by my Father, abducted from a cult by my grandmother, who raised me in a home with her abusive husband. This is only half of it, yet through it all God used my Grandmother to shelter me from what would have been an expected negative upbringing.
Considering all I faced my grandmother was rather overprotective which as a young adult led to being confused as I lacked clear direction. But, God swept me up in His eagles wings, supernaturally saving me, renewing my mind, transforming my life, where I am now a very focused, purpose led, individual.
We have been chosen as God's special treasure to reflect His character and ways so the world discovers what they are truly longing for.
It is easy to receive love the difficulty is replicating it. We often don't realize how selfish we are until we get involved in a serious relationship. How we treat our spouse is a reflection of the level of our spirituality.
THE BENEFITS OF SACRIFICE
Read Exodus 19:8-25
I would expect young people sign up for the military primarily because of the benefits. Yet when boot camp hits, or war breaks out, some wish they had never done so. The benefits are great but it can cost your life.
Regarding marriage, saying "I do" is one thing, keeping your vows is another. No matter what people may say, male and female are completely different, actually no two people are alike, so how can two people walk together? It takes, "laying down one's life for the other." This is the ultimate expression of love, for which Christ was the ultimate example.
The children of Israel wanted the blessings of God without relationship. They wanted to keep their distance, do their own thing, just maintain religious rituals, such as offering animal sacrifices when God wanted their hearts. When we just go to church, without opening the Word for ourselves, having communion yet not living in communion, singing songs but not worshiping in spirit and truth, giving money alone, we are no different. We expect the Pastor to be our bridge between us and God, but Jesus Christ is that bridge and each individual must go through Him to enjoy the blessings of salvation.
GUIDELINES TO HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
Exodus 20
As previously stated, I did not know how selfish I was until I got married, I honestly thought I knew what it meant to walk with God. My wife often reminds me when I am only thinking about myself. She has become my standard of how much of God's love I really have. Over the years we have learned each other's love language and have grown quite a lot. When I notice how beautiful she looks, open the door for her, assist her with something without her asking, I am behaving like a gentleman, making her feel my love and support.
The ten commandments are not rules they are guidelines to a healthy relationship. They were not created to keep us from doing certain things they were created to help us love God and love others right. They are the standard of true love. The law has not been done away with but fulfilled through Jesus Christ. We can never obey the law apart from Christ. One thing that has bothered my wife through the years is the excuse I make when I treat her wrong. I tell her I am sorry, pray for me, I need more of God. I cannot love without God for He is love.
We cannot obey them by keeping them before us night and day like the children of Israel did. We don't try to obey in order to show we love God. We obey them by our love for God as we abide in Christ. Jesus said the ten commandments can be summed up in two parts "loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving others as we love ourselves."
As the love of God through the Holy Spirit abides in us through Christ, God becomes the center of our lives, which is reflected by what comes out of our mouths as we rest in relationship with Him. His love is seen in how we treat others as we honor our fathers and mothers, not murdering, as well as not stealing, lying, lusting, or being jealous in either thought or deed.
Though the people responded in Exodus 19 that they would do whatever God asked of them, here in chapter 20, after hearing the ten commandments they continued to distance themselves in fear for they only wanted to go so far.
How far will we go with God's love? Let's draw near to God as living sacrifices repenting for staying so distant for so long.
Read Exodus 19:3-6
I often reflect on how amazing my life has turned out despite the challenging circumstances. My mother was schizophrenic, I was abandoned by my Father, abducted from a cult by my grandmother, who raised me in a home with her abusive husband. This is only half of it, yet through it all God used my Grandmother to shelter me from what would have been an expected negative upbringing.
Considering all I faced my grandmother was rather overprotective which as a young adult led to being confused as I lacked clear direction. But, God swept me up in His eagles wings, supernaturally saving me, renewing my mind, transforming my life, where I am now a very focused, purpose led, individual.
We have been chosen as God's special treasure to reflect His character and ways so the world discovers what they are truly longing for.
It is easy to receive love the difficulty is replicating it. We often don't realize how selfish we are until we get involved in a serious relationship. How we treat our spouse is a reflection of the level of our spirituality.
THE BENEFITS OF SACRIFICE
Read Exodus 19:8-25
I would expect young people sign up for the military primarily because of the benefits. Yet when boot camp hits, or war breaks out, some wish they had never done so. The benefits are great but it can cost your life.
Regarding marriage, saying "I do" is one thing, keeping your vows is another. No matter what people may say, male and female are completely different, actually no two people are alike, so how can two people walk together? It takes, "laying down one's life for the other." This is the ultimate expression of love, for which Christ was the ultimate example.
The children of Israel wanted the blessings of God without relationship. They wanted to keep their distance, do their own thing, just maintain religious rituals, such as offering animal sacrifices when God wanted their hearts. When we just go to church, without opening the Word for ourselves, having communion yet not living in communion, singing songs but not worshiping in spirit and truth, giving money alone, we are no different. We expect the Pastor to be our bridge between us and God, but Jesus Christ is that bridge and each individual must go through Him to enjoy the blessings of salvation.
GUIDELINES TO HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
Exodus 20
As previously stated, I did not know how selfish I was until I got married, I honestly thought I knew what it meant to walk with God. My wife often reminds me when I am only thinking about myself. She has become my standard of how much of God's love I really have. Over the years we have learned each other's love language and have grown quite a lot. When I notice how beautiful she looks, open the door for her, assist her with something without her asking, I am behaving like a gentleman, making her feel my love and support.
The ten commandments are not rules they are guidelines to a healthy relationship. They were not created to keep us from doing certain things they were created to help us love God and love others right. They are the standard of true love. The law has not been done away with but fulfilled through Jesus Christ. We can never obey the law apart from Christ. One thing that has bothered my wife through the years is the excuse I make when I treat her wrong. I tell her I am sorry, pray for me, I need more of God. I cannot love without God for He is love.
We cannot obey them by keeping them before us night and day like the children of Israel did. We don't try to obey in order to show we love God. We obey them by our love for God as we abide in Christ. Jesus said the ten commandments can be summed up in two parts "loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving others as we love ourselves."
As the love of God through the Holy Spirit abides in us through Christ, God becomes the center of our lives, which is reflected by what comes out of our mouths as we rest in relationship with Him. His love is seen in how we treat others as we honor our fathers and mothers, not murdering, as well as not stealing, lying, lusting, or being jealous in either thought or deed.
Though the people responded in Exodus 19 that they would do whatever God asked of them, here in chapter 20, after hearing the ten commandments they continued to distance themselves in fear for they only wanted to go so far.
How far will we go with God's love? Let's draw near to God as living sacrifices repenting for staying so distant for so long.
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