We all long for deep friendships and as you know they don’t just magically happen. Even though friendships aren’t automatic there are key ingredients that help your relationships go to the next level.
One ingredient in particular is so important that without it you will never have deep friendships. Why? Because without this key ingredient your friendships will never last long enough to go deep.
As you read through the New Testament you’ll come across a certain phrase over and over again. The phrase is “one another” and it’s talking about how Christians are suppose to act toward one another.
These “one another’s” seem like basic human decency or relationships 101. Love one another…be kind to one another…serve one another…forgive one another…pray for one another…encourage one another. There’s over 50 of these “one another” passages and each one seems like you shouldn’t have to tell people to do those things. You would think it would come natural.
Do you remember your last job interview? You dressed to impress. Your teeth had never been whiter and you smiled so much your cheeks hurt. You read up on every question they could ask and memorized thoughtful responses. You listened for the question behind the question. You were warm, charming, and funny.
You were so amazing your potential employer would have been crazy not to hire you!
Did you know Jesus gave a sermon on happiness? That may come as a surprise to you because sometimes his followers can be critical and judgmental.
You may also be thinking, “If Jesus gave a sermon on happiness why haven’t I ever heard of it?”
Do you ever look at Instagram and think…Man, they are always having the time of their life! They always seem to be having fun and enjoying life while I’m stuck in a boring job, that I drove to in a boring car, so that I can sleep in a boring house, next to a boring person.
Okay you might not go that far, but I bet there has been a time or two where you compared your life to someone else’s on Instagram and ended up feeling like you were boring.
Chances are if you’ve been in your career for any length of time you have acquired a set of skills. Those skills have made you pretty good at your job.
Every job requires a certain skill set (I know that sounds obvious but stay with me) and the more you master those skills the more you advance.
Last week I was told my grandfather had 12-36 hours left and that I needed to get there as soon as I could to say goodbye.
The drive from New York to West Virginia takes right at 12 hours so I left wondering if I had enough time.
Why is it so hard for you to take a day off? I really want you to come up with your best reason.
The reason that would prove God’s idea of taking a vacation every week (a Sabbath) is completely impossible. Got it? Okay hold on to it.
When we think about limits most of us think about trying to break through them. We think of limits holding us back. Limits seem restrictive.
Today I hope you realize that some limits are a great blessing.
Have you ever been asked a difficult question and weren’t sure how to answer? Should you walk away or should you wade in?
Being a pastor I find that I get asked a lot of difficult questions. Some questions are heart-breaking like, “Will I go to hell for being divorced?” (In case you’re wondering…No.)
