ODJ: still in process


September 11, 2013 

READ: Colossians 3:10-19, 4:5-6 

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony (3:14).


After 18 years of marriage I thought I had a pretty good handle on how to love my husband. Trials, children and the hand of God had significantly affected change in our relationship in countless ways. But gentle promptings from the Lord to pick up a particular book on love continued to interrupt my daily activities. Noticing the book when it first hit the market, I knew it would be a great resource for others. Now God was calling me to lay down my pride and see not only what He had done in my life, but also what He still desired to do.


Transformation isn’t always easy, especially when it involves our hearts. Relationships, whether with God, our spouse or anyone else, are a journey—not a destination. Though we grow stronger through the things God is doing in us, circumstances in life will invariably bring stressors or adjustments that require us to submit humbly to God’s continued work (Romans 8:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). God often uses our closest relationships to bring about the transformation in us that will be the witness of Jesus’ love to an unbelieving world (John 13:35; Colossians 4:5).


From hidden behaviours of the heart to our self-preservationist actions, God calls us to “put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him” (3:10). True change, however, requires humility—a relinquishing of our rights that we might embrace His (Psalm 25:9; Proverbs 10:12).


As our worth and purpose become more hidden with Jesus (Colossians 3:3), the less we need to prove we’re right, the more we want His Word to come alive in us, and the more we truly love. —Regina Franklin


Luke 22:1-13 ‹

MORE
Read John 15:12-17 and consider what it means to look to Jesus as our example of how to respond in our relationships with others.
 
NEXT
What happens if we don’t view our relationship with God and others through the lens of growth and change? What specific “new nature” behaviours are you choosing to put on?
 
1 reply
  1. Benedict
    Benedict says:

    Answering the question posed, i think that if we don’t view relationships in those ways, then it’ll be stagnant and it’s easy to fall into a state of routine and complacency. I’m struggling through a friendship recently and I think that the only way to resolve this issue is that I see things in light of the Gospel message and how the Bible defines good relationships and friendships. A lesson I learnt from today’s reading is to be willing to humbly admit my very many shortcomings and seek God to find a resolution to the issues that this friendship is facing.

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