Relationships on Purpose

READ TEXT

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 NASB95

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

Ecclesiastes is basically Solomon’s “How NOT To” book

In this book Solomon explains many of the mistakes that the “wisest man ever” made in his lifetime as well as the lessons that he learned from them.

This year, our challenge is to live our lives on purpose.

I don’t know about you but I am tired of responding to and reacting to things in life.

I am ready to push forward and impact the world around me through the choices I make.

Among the most important of those choices is one found in the fourth chapter of Ecclesiastes and that is what we will be looking at today.

Today we will be focusing on

Living Out our Relationships ON PURPOSE!

Two choices when it comes to relationships

TWO CHOICES: #1 Let Life Happen to You

You will get a return on your labor

Along the way you will fall

Some days it will just be cold

Our Enemy is seeking to tear us apart

TWO CHOICES: #2 Make Life Happen for You

With that in mind I want us to focus on last sentence in our text.

FIND PICTURE OF BRAIDING ROPE

Above

Find someone who can encourage you to live better today than yesterday.

Jim Rohn once said, “You are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with.”

If it is true, and we know that it is, that we are impacted by those around us, then seek out someone in your life who will challenge you to grow

We see Paul serving in that way for many people in the New Testament

Find a person who you can develop a relationship with who inspires you to grow spiritually. Someone who you recognize as walking closely with the Lord.

Alongside

Find someone who is at the same point of the journey with you. A fellow sojourner.

For some this will hopefully be your spouse but it doesn’t have to be.

The important thing is to purposefully seek out someone that you can walk through this stage of your spiritual growth with.

Amos 3:3 NASB95

Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?

This won’t happen by accident. You must be intentional and purposeful to enlist this person.

Someone who inspires you will likely be more than willing to invest in you (If not, you probably picked the WRONG person).

Someone who is younger or less mature in the faith will hopefully be looking for someone to challenge them.

You need someone who shares the same struggles and challenges that you can be brutally honest with.

Ascending

Matthew 28:18–20 NASB95

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We are all called to not only be disciples but to make disciples.

You must be purposeful in walking alongside of someone who needs to see hope and growth in Christ is possible.

Be Ananias and Barnabas for a Paul.

Be a Paul for a Timothy.

Lead someone purposefully to see them become more like Christ.

Conclusion

Purposeful relationships like the ones I am describing are what our Christian life is supposed to be about.

If Christianity is one generation away from extinction, let us not be the last generation!

We are guaranteed success if we only are faithful because that is all He asks.

Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church.

So buck the trends, swim against the tide!

Invest yourself in others for His glory!