All week, we have been talking about relationships. Today, we will actually find the key to extraordinary relationships in the final six boundaries God laid out in establishing a relationship with the nation of Israel. You are closer to the answer than you think.
Exodus 20
12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You must not murder.
14 “You must not commit adultery.
15 “You must not steal.
16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
You. Here’s a challenge ... think of the best relationship(s) you have ever experienced. Now, think of how you would describe the person(s) you had that relationship with. I would be willing to bet your description would include words like ... caring, honest, genuine, concerned, generous and considerate. It may seem ironic; but each of those is really an antidote for the actions God wanted us to avoid in our relationships. Ordinarily, people are selfish when it comes to relationships. Extraordinary relationships are possible when we live extraordinarily ... when you and I are caring, honest, genuine, concerned, generous and considerate. What changes do you need to make so that your relationships can be less ordinary (self-centered) and more extraordinary (others-centered)?
Friday, May 1, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Rest
This week, we are talking about how we can experience extraordinary relationships. A couple days ago, we read that God invited the nation of Israel into a relationship. Over the next two days, we will be looking at the boundaries God laid out for that relationship and see what guidance we can get for our personal relationships. Today, we will look at the first four ...
Exodus 20
1 Then God gave the people all these instructions:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
3 “You must not have any other god but me.
4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.
5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected - even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work,
10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.
11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
Rest. The first three boundaries God established had to do with man’s relationship with God; but they also provide some great insight into extraordinary personal relationships. They cover important elements like being loyal and avoiding control-issues and showing respect. The last six boundaries had to do with how we relate to each other (we’ll look at them tomorrow). The one boundary that separates them has to do with taking a break. This past weekend, Jonathan talked about the fact that the ordinary way to live life is at a break-neck speed. An extraordinary life would include some moments when we push pause ... when we can get refueled ... when we can catch up on an important relationship. So, I will reiterate Jonathan’s challenge ... take a break. We all need to find some time this week (every week) to spend some time resting ... to spend some time with someone important. It may cost you something now; but if you don’t, it may cost you a whole lot more in the future.
Exodus 20
1 Then God gave the people all these instructions:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
3 “You must not have any other god but me.
4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.
5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected - even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work,
10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.
11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
Rest. The first three boundaries God established had to do with man’s relationship with God; but they also provide some great insight into extraordinary personal relationships. They cover important elements like being loyal and avoiding control-issues and showing respect. The last six boundaries had to do with how we relate to each other (we’ll look at them tomorrow). The one boundary that separates them has to do with taking a break. This past weekend, Jonathan talked about the fact that the ordinary way to live life is at a break-neck speed. An extraordinary life would include some moments when we push pause ... when we can get refueled ... when we can catch up on an important relationship. So, I will reiterate Jonathan’s challenge ... take a break. We all need to find some time this week (every week) to spend some time resting ... to spend some time with someone important. It may cost you something now; but if you don’t, it may cost you a whole lot more in the future.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
If
This week, we are talking about experiencing extraordinary relationships by looking at our relationship with God. Yesterday, we revisited one of the most famous passages in the entire Bible and were reminded that we have to let God lead. Over the next couple of days, we are going to revisit another well known passage ... the Ten Commandments ... to get a better view of how we should relate to God and each other. Exodus (the second book in the Bible) provides us with the story of the life of Moses, God’s rescue of the nation of Israel from 400 years of slavery in Egypt and God’s adoption of the nation of Israel.
Exodus 19
1 Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai.
2 After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and set up camp there at the base of Mount Sinai.
3 Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel:
4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.
6 And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”
7 So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the Lord had commanded him.
8 And all the people responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.” So Moses brought the people’s answer back to the Lord.
If. I sometimes feel like the Ten Commandments get a bad rap because they come across as this list of rules that God demands everyone to follow ... like he is some dictator demanding his way. The reality is that the Israelites had a choice ... if. He didn’t say, “I rescued you. I saved you, now obey me!” He said, “I rescued you. I saved you, if you are interested, I would like to have a relationship with you.” The Israelites said yes. As we will see tomorrow, the “Ten Commandments” then became the boundaries of that relationship; but the relationship was always a choice. The same goes for you and me. God is offering us a relationship through Jesus’ sacrifice. He has saved us; but the choice is always ours. Our relationship with God is extraordinary because He extended grace to us before we even asked. Ordinary relationships demand respect and equality. Extraordinary relationships offer grace and extend mercy.
Exodus 19
1 Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai.
2 After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and set up camp there at the base of Mount Sinai.
3 Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel:
4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.
6 And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”
7 So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the Lord had commanded him.
8 And all the people responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.” So Moses brought the people’s answer back to the Lord.
If. I sometimes feel like the Ten Commandments get a bad rap because they come across as this list of rules that God demands everyone to follow ... like he is some dictator demanding his way. The reality is that the Israelites had a choice ... if. He didn’t say, “I rescued you. I saved you, now obey me!” He said, “I rescued you. I saved you, if you are interested, I would like to have a relationship with you.” The Israelites said yes. As we will see tomorrow, the “Ten Commandments” then became the boundaries of that relationship; but the relationship was always a choice. The same goes for you and me. God is offering us a relationship through Jesus’ sacrifice. He has saved us; but the choice is always ours. Our relationship with God is extraordinary because He extended grace to us before we even asked. Ordinary relationships demand respect and equality. Extraordinary relationships offer grace and extend mercy.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Leads
Over the past two or three centuries, the speed of life has increased exponentially. Even in the past couple of decades, our communication has moved from mail to faxes to emails to instant messages. This past weekend, Jonathan talked about how those “improvements” have actually slowed down our ability to truly communicate and build extraordinary relationships. This week, we are going to look at some of the passages he discussed and see if we can slow down long enough to move our relationships out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary.
If one of the keys to having extraordinary relationships is slowing down, here is how we are going to start the week ... take a deep breath. Seriously. Take another one. Now, read through this passage slowly and allow the words David uses to describe his relationship with God to sink in. Remember, slowly...
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Leads. I love the words David uses to describe what he has experienced in his journey with God ... rest, peaceful, renews, close, comfort, goodness, love. Who wouldn’t want that?! The great thing is David also reveals the key to experiencing those beautiful words in our journey by offering two very important words ... leads and guides. Over the next couple of days, we are going to look at some habits that will help us be better followers; but I want to leave you with one last word that David offers ... pursue. If you are like me, you have experienced moments in your journey when you wondered if God had given up on you. The good news is He hasn’t and He won’t.
If one of the keys to having extraordinary relationships is slowing down, here is how we are going to start the week ... take a deep breath. Seriously. Take another one. Now, read through this passage slowly and allow the words David uses to describe his relationship with God to sink in. Remember, slowly...
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Leads. I love the words David uses to describe what he has experienced in his journey with God ... rest, peaceful, renews, close, comfort, goodness, love. Who wouldn’t want that?! The great thing is David also reveals the key to experiencing those beautiful words in our journey by offering two very important words ... leads and guides. Over the next couple of days, we are going to look at some habits that will help us be better followers; but I want to leave you with one last word that David offers ... pursue. If you are like me, you have experienced moments in your journey when you wondered if God had given up on you. The good news is He hasn’t and He won’t.
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