Good Morning :) I hope you're having a great day! We're going to start a new set of lessons today. Over the last month I noticed that relationships seem to struggle. I'm not meaning marriages necessarily but friendships, parent - child you friends, it sad what we let to interfere with our relationships.
We need to protect all relationships in life. First I'm going to give a few things that could destroy a relationship in marriage:
1) Not praying together as a couple/family.
2) Not having family alter/fun time together.
3) Allowing negativeness into the home.
4) Not keeping the communications door open.
These are just a few things that can cause "Shipwrecks" in our relationships!
Here's a few things that can keep a relationship strong in marriage:
1) Have daily prayer time with your spouse/family.
2) Having Bible time/fun time with your family.
3) Keeping a positive attitude!
4) Communication!
Imagine what you can avoid with these things, Prayer, Bible Reading, being positive, communicating with your family and others.
Now we're going to look into some area's of Relationships. Ask yourself how is this relationship?
~Husband - wife
~parent - child
~boss - employee
~pastor - people
~The Lord - you
The Lord's instruction for relationships is being peaceful and happy. We need to make sure that the Lord is the Lord of our relationships. I love the song:
Friends are friends forever if the Lord is the Lord of them. (you could put this way:)
Husband and wife are friends forever if the Lord is the Lord of them. (Put anything in there if the Lord is the Lord of it, it WILL LAST!!!
Now in this topic I'll refer to "Ships", "storms", "shipwrecks" etc in relationship to our lives. I pray that before I start that you'll decided today that you are going to Avoid Shipwrecks in your Relationships. Mrs Cathy Corle wrote the "Avoiding Shipwreck In Your Relationships" The passage of scripture that we'll refer to occasionally throughout this lesson is in Acts 27.
vr 14 "But not long after there was against it a tempestuous wind, called Eursclydon.
15 And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive."
As a Captain of a ship - he has a direction to reach it's destination. The same with our life, we had a directions we are going and it can end up in a shipwreck, or on a calm sea.
Storms will happen in our relationships:
~marriage (you know that arguments will arise, disagreement comes BUT you can avoid shipwreck)
~child training - "Train up a child in the way he should go...." Now if we allow the storms to control us, do you think that your child will turn out right? Stay focused and don't allow your child training to shipwreck.
~in laws - you say, "I can't _________" don't say I can't decided this couple had my husband/wife they are they're parents and I'm going to avoid a shipwreck with them!!
I will say, there were rough sea's with my mother in law. However I can say, "I loved her" and I did my best to avoid the shipwreck. I believe that because I didn't let our differences come between us, the Holy Spirit was able to work in her life and she now is Heaven! Why? I didn't allow the storms to shipwreck our relationship!!
~maybe church, work, ministry etc. - be careful of the storms in these area's it can hurt and crash relationships.
Now stop and look at yourself, not your husband, not your children, not your parents, not your friends BUT look at YOU _______________ put your name there. Say to yourself, do I cause storms that could avoided? Do you complain about things that maybe could be left alone in your marriage? Do you show negative attitudes with your boss that could be left alone? Stop! Look at Self! Avoid the shipwrecks of life that you cause by NOT thinking or stepping back and saying, "What can I change?"
Remember, "There is none righteous no not one." When you enter a relationship of ANY kind NO ONE is perfect!
Where do you want your different relationships to go?
I have a dear friend in TN that I LOVE! We lost contact during high school because my family moved away. She and I had a good relationship and I wanted to keep that, but as I said we lost contact. Well, a few yrs ago, maybe less we were able to get back in contact. You know I believe our relationship picked right back up where we left it. Thank the Lord for our relationship and our friendship.
There's another friend in, Indiana that I met in college. She and I have had our ups and downs. We haven't lost contact, but I believe our relationship is strong. Why? I can't say it's because we never had a storm pop up, because we did and have. I believe it's because we tried to steer clear of the perils of life, of the sea that could of caused major shipwrecks.
My husband and I, YES we have our problems. You know what.... We don't let them shipwreck our relationship. Could 19 yrs of marriage had a shipwreck or two? YES! Trust me as a wife and mom we've had our times. BUT the Lord is the Lord of our relationship!!
Dont' let the little things make you crash into the rocks and put you upside down in the sea of life.
Don't use excuses as to why your relationships don't work: These are some I get so tired of hearing:
-I have a bad temper, I can't control. That is WRONG you can control your temper.
-I can't help it, I'm a sensitive person. Good I'm glad your sensitive BUT don't let it rule your life, it will shipwreck your life if you let it!
So are you a foolish or wise captain?
The foolish captain will end of shipwrecking his ship in calm waters because he doesn't pay attention to the perils of the sea/life!
Where as the wise captain will steer clear of the perils when the waters are calm or during a hurricane!
So remember: Christ is on board with you! OR should we say you are on board with Christ. The captain of your ship is Christ and if you depend on him, HE WILL help you avoid the shipwreck of your relationships!!!
He gives peace in the time of storm!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment