Relationships

Our relationships take work, it is a give and take thing. We must be willing to give to form a relationship with someone, just as we take from them. We can't very well think that when we are forming a friendship with someone that all we do is listen, we must invest, take time to make it grow, we must be willing to do both. It isn't a very good relationship if all we do is take from the person and are never willing to give back to it. We must be willing to invest time into it, maybe even money for things to work. If all I do is expect from the relationship and never do anything to help it grow, that relationship will shrivel up and sooner or later die. If the other person is investing all they have into it and I am doing nothing, it is a very one sided relationship right? Have you ever had a friendship where all you felt like you did was give to the other person and they never did anything to help it grow? How did that make you feel? I for one have had that happen, it makes me feel used, like it isn't much of a friendship, it is just like an obligation that person must feel to keep talking to me.

Can you imagine how Jesus feels? He has given us everything, He is always with us, He goes before us, He is speaking to us daily, but when we don't speak to Him, don't learn about Him and feel like we have to do something, we are not wanting a friendship with Him, we are just wanting to take from Him and never give back. That must break His heart. He wants a friendship with us that isn't one sided, He wants to love us and wants to be loved by us. But it takes action, it takes work, just like our physical relationships take work.

We need to be willing to give to Jesus and that is our time, our thoughts, our thanksgiving, our praise, our surrender to Him. Just like in a physical friendships if we are not willing to give to help them grow, they will die, just as our relationship with Jesus Christ will be. It will grow to be like something we have to do, instead of yearn to help it grow and change. Our physical relationships will not grow if we don't invest into them, so how can our spiritual relationships grow if we do not invest time into them?

Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is a direct representation of our physical relationships. Are our physical relationships suffering too? Are we willing to invest into them or are we only takers? We take but never give back?

Is it time to change our thinking about what relationship looks like? It isn't about taking, it is about giving and taking. The more we give, the more we have, but the more we take, the less we have. Kind of a reverse thought, but it is the truth.

If you say it is to much, remember these truths:
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

Ephesians 3:14, 16 "For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father . . . that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His spirit in the inner man."

2 Peter 1:4 "He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature."

And one more:

1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

My final thought, in our personal relationships, you get out of them, what you put into them. If you want more, put more in. Same with our relationship with Jesus Christ, if you aren't getting what you think you should get back, look at what you are putting into it.