If you expect to make it last with God you better get friends that edify your faith instead of justify your faults. Royal Tailor
Our relationship with God is intimately weaved in with our relationships with others. Who we choose to spend time with and allow to be an influencing voice in our life will shape our relationship with God, whether we want it to or not. Oh we'd love to be strong enough in character to be able to spend all of our time in circles where they help us justify our bad behaviors, etc but we stand strong in our faith. But it just ain't so. Eventually we allow their justifications to become truth in our lives. And then we are deceived to who we have become. But if we purpose to spend time with people who will speak truth to us, regardless of its initial sting, because they love us and care about us then we are more likely to stand strong in our faith. If we purpose to surround ourselves with people who won't let us off the hook on our bad behaviors by helping us justify them but instead calling them into the light then we will find ourselves flourishing in our personal relationship with Christ. Those who help us justify our bad behaviors are reckless influences in our lives, those who help us grow in character by speaking truth in love are participating in the healing of our lives. But here's the warning: while we all like the idea of being a truth speaker into the lives of others we don't always love the idea of being spoken to with truth. We need to be able to be on the receiving end and not just the giver of truth. That requires humility and that grows us up in character and in our own relationship with God. And to last with God much humility is required.
What do you think about today's quote? Are your circles reckless or healing? Are YOU reckless or a healer in the lives of others? Examine your life with God, if it seems lackluster at best might it be due to who you are allowing to be a voice of influence in your life?
Our relationship with God is intimately weaved in with our relationships with others. Who we choose to spend time with and allow to be an influencing voice in our life will shape our relationship with God, whether we want it to or not. Oh we'd love to be strong enough in character to be able to spend all of our time in circles where they help us justify our bad behaviors, etc but we stand strong in our faith. But it just ain't so. Eventually we allow their justifications to become truth in our lives. And then we are deceived to who we have become. But if we purpose to spend time with people who will speak truth to us, regardless of its initial sting, because they love us and care about us then we are more likely to stand strong in our faith. If we purpose to surround ourselves with people who won't let us off the hook on our bad behaviors by helping us justify them but instead calling them into the light then we will find ourselves flourishing in our personal relationship with Christ. Those who help us justify our bad behaviors are reckless influences in our lives, those who help us grow in character by speaking truth in love are participating in the healing of our lives. But here's the warning: while we all like the idea of being a truth speaker into the lives of others we don't always love the idea of being spoken to with truth. We need to be able to be on the receiving end and not just the giver of truth. That requires humility and that grows us up in character and in our own relationship with God. And to last with God much humility is required.
What do you think about today's quote? Are your circles reckless or healing? Are YOU reckless or a healer in the lives of others? Examine your life with God, if it seems lackluster at best might it be due to who you are allowing to be a voice of influence in your life?
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