Last night, we had the singles group at our house and we talked about marriage together with the members of our small group. One of the questions they asked had to do with fostering friendships once married. I communicated to them that I have seen my relationships change since married and that it is often difficult to maintain them in the same way. But that doesn't mean they aren't worth fighting for.
A dear friend of mine is very good at intentionally fostering relationships with friends and loving them well. I explained that for me, it is much easier to fall into the rut of not calling others, not pursuing them. This morning, I was struck by 1 John 4:20 says, "if anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." This leads me to ask myself, am I loving my brothers and sisters well or am I, like the writer of Proverbs says isolating myself so as to seek out my own desires (Proverbs 18:1).
I am challenged to do a better job of intentionally pursuing relationships with others whom I do not normally interact with at church. I specifically need to pray that God enables me to love well those whom I would not normally seek out. 1 Chronicles 19:13 says, "be strong, and let us use our strength for our people and for the cities of God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him."
Let us use our strength for our people.
Daily Reading: Matthew 12, Numbers 15, Hebrews 12, 1 John 4, Ecclesiastes 10, Psalm 137, Proverbs 18, 1 Chronicles 19, Ezekiel 45, Romans 13
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