26--Relationships that Glorify God
Do you wonder why everyone who ever lived longs for the perfect relationship, longs to be noticed, longs to be significant, longs to be loved and cherished? It is because God created us FOR relationships.
God the Father and Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit are the only perfect family in the history of the world. If you read this post you can read all about that perfect family.
Our world is full of broken relationships. After Adam and Eve sinned nobody ever had a perfect relationship again. God designed it that way because if we ever found the perfect relationship on earth, we would never turn to Him. But we can have relationships that glorify God if we do the things God does. We know what God does because he gave us his commandments and the commandments are all about how to do relationships: Love God above all and love your neighbor as yourself. Do unto others what you would have them do to you.
The Trinity wanted to expand their family, so they created people. God-glorifying people also want to expand their families. Married people have children. Family members are loyal for life--they love each other and help each other and they make a place called home that you can always come back to. Some families are on the lookout to take in other people who are lonely and don't have families to show them love and affection. They adopt children or they invite others over for meals and holidays. Family expansion is what we are called to do.
The opposite of family expansion is family diminishment. Cain did that when he killed Abel. He cut Abel off. He committed murder. Jesus said that if we are angry with another person, we have murder in our hearts. John the apostle said that hatred is the same as murder and we know that people hate when they cut others out of their lives. Creating division and separation and divorce and shunning are all forms of diminishing a family--something God hates.
We see that on a lesser level with ordinary friendships. Some people are very welcoming and when they see you, they get excited and they talk to you and tell you about themselves and what is going on in their lives and they ask you about your life. Other people are suspicious and mean and haughty and when they see you coming, they stop talking and then walk away. If you say something to them, they might look at each other and roll their eyes. You know what I mean. Hateful people reject you.
I hope that you all grow up to be the kind of people that are kind and courteous to everybody. I hope that you never shut anybody out or make them feel unloved. It takes a lot of courage to be kind. It takes a lot of courage to stand up and befriend someone who doesn't have many friends. It takes courage not to go along with the crowd when the crowd is wrong.
I hope that you love with an enduring love like God does and that you are faithful to your family and friends. I always like to say, "I love you forever!" Do you know that God says that too? There is a whole Psalm that says it over and over and over again. It is Psalm 136. For His steadfast love endures forever. That is God saying to you, "I love you forever!"
There will be times in your life when people let you down. They may betray you or hate you or completely shut you out of their lives. But God will love you forever! He will never ever leave you or forsake you and when people let you down, it may be that God is calling to you to Himself. The pain of rejection is real, but if you trust God, you will find that he is enough. And he will give you joy in the pain.
The Trinity wanted to expand their family, so they created people. God-glorifying people also want to expand their families. Married people have children. Family members are loyal for life--they love each other and help each other and they make a place called home that you can always come back to. Some families are on the lookout to take in other people who are lonely and don't have families to show them love and affection. They adopt children or they invite others over for meals and holidays. Family expansion is what we are called to do.
The opposite of family expansion is family diminishment. Cain did that when he killed Abel. He cut Abel off. He committed murder. Jesus said that if we are angry with another person, we have murder in our hearts. John the apostle said that hatred is the same as murder and we know that people hate when they cut others out of their lives. Creating division and separation and divorce and shunning are all forms of diminishing a family--something God hates.
We see that on a lesser level with ordinary friendships. Some people are very welcoming and when they see you, they get excited and they talk to you and tell you about themselves and what is going on in their lives and they ask you about your life. Other people are suspicious and mean and haughty and when they see you coming, they stop talking and then walk away. If you say something to them, they might look at each other and roll their eyes. You know what I mean. Hateful people reject you.
I hope that you all grow up to be the kind of people that are kind and courteous to everybody. I hope that you never shut anybody out or make them feel unloved. It takes a lot of courage to be kind. It takes a lot of courage to stand up and befriend someone who doesn't have many friends. It takes courage not to go along with the crowd when the crowd is wrong.
I hope that you love with an enduring love like God does and that you are faithful to your family and friends. I always like to say, "I love you forever!" Do you know that God says that too? There is a whole Psalm that says it over and over and over again. It is Psalm 136. For His steadfast love endures forever. That is God saying to you, "I love you forever!"
There will be times in your life when people let you down. They may betray you or hate you or completely shut you out of their lives. But God will love you forever! He will never ever leave you or forsake you and when people let you down, it may be that God is calling to you to Himself. The pain of rejection is real, but if you trust God, you will find that he is enough. And he will give you joy in the pain.
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