These go together of course but they should be dealt with long before they get out of hand.
All of us have these from time to time. In our friendships, in our relationships with each other, and in business too. So what can we do about it? Well…that depends on the type of relationship. If it is between business partners sit down and talk about it. Find out what is the real problem and try to find a fix for it. If it is between friends, sit down and talk about it. Don’t just push each other away and let it fester into something that will break your friendship, especially if it is something that can be fixed. Put your pride away and try to be civil about your relationship. It is hard to do in our “my way” world because everyone seems to want things to always go their way and have no respect for the other person’s feelings or reasons for their actions.
This is especially true in marriage. “Me, and my and mine and I” really don’t belong in a relationship between husband and wife, but often those are the words that start an argument that can lead to divorce. It seems to be inevitable primarily when the children are grown and the “partners” are not on the same page anymore.
Life gets in the way and it can cause disagreements even between people that haven’t really had an argument for a long time. Personal issues, financial issues, sexual wants, and needs all get in the way of a lasting relationship and today the word “compromise” seems to have been taken out of our abilities and our marriages.
All of these problems can be solved through faith and prayer IF we are both willing to work on the relationship. When you get frustrated and tired of fighting or disagreeing, that is when someone will just give up on keeping the relationship going regardless of what kind of relationship it is. Thankfully, God doesn’t give up on us like this but we do. Many marriages and friendships are lost due to being tired of the words and the drama that goes along with them. As a friend of mine said, “It just gets old and I’m tired”.
The problem that I see in this is that each of us in a long-term relationship has been blessed with that person by God Himself and it is our responsibility to look beyond big or small disagreements because we should be honoring Him in this as well. Whether it is a friendship or a marriage, it has been given to each of us for a purpose. Finding out that purpose and holding on to it is our responsibility as Christians. Unless you have given your heart to Jesus, this won’t really apply to you. Being devoted to Christ and devoted to those in our lives goes hand in hand but our relationship with Jesus comes first. If that foundation isn’t there, the other relationships will also fail.
The foundation having Jesus Christ at the center of your life gives every relationship in your life a firm foundation, to begin with. If that isn’t there or if that relationship hasn’t been dedicated to Jesus, to begin with then there will be trouble in the long run.
Have you ever been tempted to ask this of Him? I have. The reasons are many and it has happened many times in my life but I’ve come to know that we don’t have to ask this at all. He is always with us if you know Jesus as your Savior. God keeps up with everything that is happening on Earth and He is in control regardless of how things look from our perspective.
Some people are truly wondering if Jesus will come back for His church but be assured, He will. Why am I convinced of this? Because He is our Creator and He cannot lie. He told His disciples that He would come back one day and take every believer to be with Him in Heaven, to His Father’s house, and He will. I know it has been a long time since He left but God has His reasons for not sending Jesus to gather His Bride and bring her to His house. One of those could be that He is waiting for some who haven’t given their hearts to Jesus yet. He knows how many more there will be and He’s waiting for them.
There are other reasons as well and we don’t know what they are. Only the Father knows, just as Jesus said. Are we living in the “last days” or the “end times”? Yes, the time just prior to the Tribulation is where we are right now. If you are not sure of your salvation then you need to make sure before that day comes. The trumpet of God will sound and the dead in Christ will rise first and then we who are alive and remain will be caught up to heaven to be with Him forever. Some people think that everyone will hear the trumpet of God and some believe that only believers will hear it. Either way, the world will know that something momentous has happened.
I pray that anyone who has questions about salvation or eternity will seek a pastor or even contact me. I’m not a scholar but I have read through God’s Word more than ten times and I study His Word daily. I was a pastor for nine years and I pray that you will seek Jesus for your salvation soon.
How can God use me? I am not perfect and I’m not always in His will for my life. The thinking that we have that follows this line of thought is wrong. No one besides Jesus could be this way. God loves us regardless of our flaws. He knew us long before we were ever born and He still determined that we would be useful in His Kingdom. That is why you were called to become a Christian in the first place.
Becoming a Christian is not something that happens because you decide to do so. You only get to the point of knowing you need Jesus because God has placed enough faith in your heart to show you that you need Him. All of us have to live our lives on a daily basis and it is the conviction of the Holy Spirit that shows us that we can’t live the Christian life without Jesus as our Savior. It has nothing to do with our weaknesses because there isn’t a person on Earth that can live a real Christian life and follow Jesus without the Holy Spirit.
All of us have cracks and flaws and warts, spiritually, but God never called perfect people! He always called normal, everyday people like Peter, James, and John. His disciples weren’t superstars. They were normal people like us but when the Holy Spirit came into their lives they became bold witnesses of Jesus and His message and they began the work that He had told them to begin after He left and went to be with the Father.
None of those who have believed in the past could’ve had the witness that they did without the Holy Spirit working in their lives. Even the so-called “super preachers” of the last 150 years could not live and be the person that God called them to be without the Holy Spirit working through them. Their preaching would not have had the same impact that it had and they could not have been as successful with their ministry without Him. God can use even the most unlikely of people and circumstances to bring His will to pass.
Can you be used in God’s Kingdom in a mighty way? Yes, if you will surrender to His call in your life and allow the Holy Spirit to work in you and through your words and your witness so others will see Jesus rather than you. This is what Jesus meant when He told the disciples that they would do greater things than He had done because the effect of their preaching would be more far-reaching than He could do in only three years.
The time that this world has left is growing short so I pray that you will give your life and your heart to Jesus if you haven’t already. Follow Him daily, reading His Word and praying because one day soon He will come for His bride.
All of us ask this in one way or another because we are all looking for something. Whether it is food, money, healing, or love we are looking for it. God knows this and He knows what and Who you need to fill that empty place in your life. He is the God of plenty and the God Who provides for all who believe in Him. He supplies the needs of everyone whether they believe in Him for their salvation or not but HE will abundantly supply the needs of those who are following Him and learning wisdom from Him.
Life with God as your Savior and Provider is not easy but it is better than what we have now. God loves us and He watches over every person even if they don’t follow Him. When they are living by their own leadership, He allows it because they are rejecting Him. When He touches their life and their heart, they will seek Him to fill that empty place. This is not a vain belief, it is the truth! Your life can be useful and fruitful for Him if you will believe in Him for your salvation.
God’s inspiration will get you through all of your toughest days. No matter what might be happening, God is with you. He cares for the birds so He cares even more for you because you are made in His image!
Don’t think that He has abandoned you because He has not and He will not. Give your heart and your life to Him and follow Him every day because your eternity depends on it. Each of us has a soul that will live into eternity. The question that remains is…where will your soul and your eternal body live? Now, you can deny that this is the truth but Jesus mentions it many times and if He says that it will be this way then it will be. The determining factor of your eternity is your steadfast faith in Jesus or your rejection of Him.
You choose where you will spend eternity when you decide to either follow Him for the rest of your life or not. God doesn’t send people to hell. They make the choice when they decide to put off the decision of following Jesus or just reject Him altogether.
The Living Message of Christ 