by patsy norwood ~ © 2008 - 2016 ~ All Rights Reserved
Apron Strings … the ties that hold an apron on
Relationships … the ties that hold people together
Today we live in a ‘hurry up’ world. We want everything instant from coffee to relationships. We want immediate results with minimal effort. In case you haven’t noticed, life doesn’t work that way and neither do relationships. Meaningful relationships require effort; effort that includes loving each other, supporting each other and spending time with each other. Herein lies the key to building good relationships.
Have you ever thought about the fact that God uses relationships to further His kingdom, or more specifically, that God uses you and me through these relationships to bring others to Him? That’s a sobering thought isn’t it? In this series of articles we’re going to take a look at some of the people in our lives that are affected by OUR relationship with God. No man is an island unto himself, we affect others through the relationships we have with them and here’s another sobering thought, our relationship with God will manifest it’s self in our relationships to others.
What does our relationship with others say about our relationship with God?
Ladies did you know that God wants us to develop and maintain good relationships within the family of God. The Scriptures in Ephesians 4:3 tell us to “make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” This simply means for us to do our part in getting along with others. A Christian does not exist in isolation. He is an integral part of a greater whole. Getting along with our brothers and sisters in Christ is crucial if we are going to please God. We said earlier that meaningful relationships require effort. This is especially true when it comes to fellow Christians.
When searching for a Biblical example for this point I came across Dorcas. We all know the story of how she was always doing good and helping the poor and that when she became sick and died the disciples sent for Peter urging him to come at once. When Peter got there, he was taken upstairs to the room where Dorcas lay. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made for them. Ladies, what was it about Dorcas that aroused such admiration? What was it about her that caused the disciples to send for Peter with the urgent message to come quickly? Could it have been the relationships she had with others? I think so. Now let’s take the life of Dorcas and bring it into our day and time, what would a modern day Dorcas look like? Let’s think about this.
Would she welcome a new-comer in the congregation and make a point of getting to know her?
Would she send notes of appreciation and encouragement to those who needed them?
Would she work hard to create a “family atmosphere” in her church?
Would she talk to and mentor young women as needed?
Would she gently remind a young mother that there are different seasons of life and that her priority is her family and home in this season of her life?
Would women request that she pray for them and feel confident that she would?
Would she strive to make everyone feel loved and accepted when they were around her?
Dorcas made a difference in the lives of those around her through her relationships with them and we can do the same.
Relationships … the ties that hold people together
Today we live in a ‘hurry up’ world. We want everything instant from coffee to relationships. We want immediate results with minimal effort. In case you haven’t noticed, life doesn’t work that way and neither do relationships. Meaningful relationships require effort; effort that includes loving each other, supporting each other and spending time with each other. Herein lies the key to building good relationships.
Have you ever thought about the fact that God uses relationships to further His kingdom, or more specifically, that God uses you and me through these relationships to bring others to Him? That’s a sobering thought isn’t it? In this series of articles we’re going to take a look at some of the people in our lives that are affected by OUR relationship with God. No man is an island unto himself, we affect others through the relationships we have with them and here’s another sobering thought, our relationship with God will manifest it’s self in our relationships to others.
What does our relationship with others say about our relationship with God?
Ladies did you know that God wants us to develop and maintain good relationships within the family of God. The Scriptures in Ephesians 4:3 tell us to “make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” This simply means for us to do our part in getting along with others. A Christian does not exist in isolation. He is an integral part of a greater whole. Getting along with our brothers and sisters in Christ is crucial if we are going to please God. We said earlier that meaningful relationships require effort. This is especially true when it comes to fellow Christians.
When searching for a Biblical example for this point I came across Dorcas. We all know the story of how she was always doing good and helping the poor and that when she became sick and died the disciples sent for Peter urging him to come at once. When Peter got there, he was taken upstairs to the room where Dorcas lay. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made for them. Ladies, what was it about Dorcas that aroused such admiration? What was it about her that caused the disciples to send for Peter with the urgent message to come quickly? Could it have been the relationships she had with others? I think so. Now let’s take the life of Dorcas and bring it into our day and time, what would a modern day Dorcas look like? Let’s think about this.
Would she welcome a new-comer in the congregation and make a point of getting to know her?
Would she send notes of appreciation and encouragement to those who needed them?
Would she work hard to create a “family atmosphere” in her church?
Would she talk to and mentor young women as needed?
Would she gently remind a young mother that there are different seasons of life and that her priority is her family and home in this season of her life?
Would women request that she pray for them and feel confident that she would?
Would she strive to make everyone feel loved and accepted when they were around her?
Dorcas made a difference in the lives of those around her through her relationships with them and we can do the same.
It’s all about relationships!
patsy norwood
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