Deep down, we are all wired for relationships. There’s a longing in our hearts to be known by people, to know people, and to have people that you can walk through life with. People who don’t just know the facts about you but actually know how you’re feeling, what’s going on in your life, and what you care about. We’re wired for relationships. With our Creator and with one another.
Who you do life with will have a significant impact on who you will become.
PROVERBS 13:20 – “He who walks with the wise, grows wise. But a companion of fools suffers harm.”
This past month of “manistry” (the month where all of the men on the squad make up their own team for ministry) and “marriagstry” (I admit I just made this one up. Alyssa and I spent part of the month living in a little missional community with another married couple on the squad) has allowed Alyssa and I to truly walk with some amazing & wise people who are on our squad. We were able to learn from one another and grow closer together by keeping each other accountable, encouraging one another, getting vulnerable, challenging one another and calling each other higher. My hope is that our time spent walking with our teammates will help us to grow wiser, deepen our friendships, and push us closer to God.
Months like these are made up of lots of little decisions and moments. We have to be intentional and we have to prioritize moments where we can be around people that can ask us the tough questions. People that can know who we are and what we dream about. People that can spur us on to love in good works and can help us to be all that God wants us to be. We need to share life together. It needs to be consistent, and we need to prioritize it. We need a group of people that know the Word. A group of people that are praying, that will push you forward and not pull you back. People that will remind you of the grace and the purposes of God. People that will speak the truth in love. Not just what you want to hear but what you need to hear.
Who do you surround yourself with?
Scripture says as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend (Proverbs 27:17). We have to push each other. We have to encourage each other to go to Jesus. We need to make sure we are going below the surface. Fire up one another’s faith and lead the way in encouraging faith in your friendships!
Get around the people who help fire up your faith and ask them the important questions.
What have you been learning from the Word?
What are some ways we can be praying for each other?
What’s heavy in your life?
How can we be praying for God to use us, to send us out, be people of mission and purpose and selfless living?
How can we be people who invite others in?
To conclude this post, I’d like to end with a passage from the book of Romans that really stuck out to me this past week. There is so much wisdom in these verses that we can all learn from and take to heart, especially when it comes to how we treat people and the relationships that we have in our lives.
ROMANS 12:9-18 – “Let the inner movement of your heart always be to love one another, and never play the role of an actor wearing a mask. Despise evil and embrace everything that is good and virtuous. Be devoted to tenderly loving your fellow believers as members of one family. Try to outdo yourselves in respect and honor of one another. Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion toward him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let him fill you with excitement as you serve him. Let this hope burst forth within you, releasing a continual joy. Don’t give up in a time of trouble, but commune with God at all times. Take a constant interest in the needs of God’s beloved people and respond by helping them. And eagerly welcome people as guests into your home. Speak blessing, not cursing, over those who reject and persecute you. Celebrate with those who celebrate, and weep with those who grieve. Live happily together in a spirit of harmony, and be as mindful of another’s worth as you are your own. Don’t live with a lofty mind-set, thinking you are too important to serve others, but be willing to do menial tasks and identify with those who are humble minded. Don’t be smug or even think for a moment that you know it all. Never hold a grudge or try to get even, but plan your life around the noblest way to benefit others. Do your best to live as everybody’s friend.”
