Purpose

I found it funny that my pastor spoke on the purpose of relationships this morning considering the fact that the purpose of relationships have been on my mind all week and is something I've struggled to come to terms with. So within the past month or so, I've met someone whom I'm now becoming friends with. And one thing that she's made me think about is the purpose of relationships. Now it wasn't really something we talked about, but an underlying thought that's been brought to the surface in my mind. And it's made me come to the realization that all relationships are meant to glorify God and bring each other closer to Him. This has really made me think about my friendships more closely, not just with her but with everyone. Am I showing Christ's love through my friendships with people and am I drawing them closer to God? My answer was honestly, no. I don't feel like I have been doing a well enough job of doing that, of sticking by my friends and through my words and actions leading them closer to God. One thing my pastor said this morning was "God made us for relationships." With that I totally agree because we were not made to be hermits, but to have relationships with others. Whether they be friends or enemies, we all have relationships with people. And I feel like God has really challenged my heart to not just affect those I love and bring them closer to Him, but also those that I do not really enjoy being around and even those who metaphorically spit in my face. It shouldn't matter what type of relationship we have with people when it comes to showing Christ's love to them and bringing them closer to God. And if they're unsaved, it may be the only way they will see Jesus' all-encompassing love for them.
This led me on to think about my relationship with my God, and with my Savior. What's the purpose of knowing them and following their teachings? It all points back to one thing and it is that we need to worship God with all we have, all we are, and our relationships with other people. That's the purpose of our relationship with God. We were made to worship God. God never had a thought in His head that said "I need to create a super important species called humans so that I can serve them and be there for them." That wasn't why He created us. God does not need us! We need Him. There's a reason we pray to Him and not He to us. He doesn't ask us for things, He commands us. God is not an ATM or a vending machine, conveniently placed for our benefit. He made us. And if I'm correct, I wasn't made my a vending machine. God has given us all we have and all we are so that we can worship Him. One way to worship God, as I said before, is through relationships with others. So I want to challenge you with this. What is the purpose of your relationships? Are you looking for your own benefit and happiness? Or are you trying to bring that person closer to Christ than they were before? We should all strive to for that. There is a purpose in our relationships, they aren't just there. They are there so we can worship God through them and bring others closer to Jesus so that there life will be bettered by knowing Him better.