There are times in life that you will feel lonely. There are times that you will be alone. Either the case, God intends for us to be relational people. Being in relationships can be very counter-intuitive to the society in which we live today. Today, we as a society are very individualistic. To illustrate this point, anyone who has traveled across this great country of ours has most likely noticed, or perhaps even utilize an HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane. These lanes are typically not as congested as the other lanes, and in some areas, they also take you to a seemingly “magical” detour away from the general traffic pattern to get you where you are going quicker. People seldomly use these lanes because most cars traveling to where ever they are going, are occupied by one person, alone.
Recently I have had the opportunity to be just one of those people. Riding in a truck on a long ride with one of my favorite people, and as we drove down the HOV lane, (Which I may mention requires only 2+ occupants), we discussed things. We discussed matters ranging from lighthearted humor from the impact of God in our lives. We need these people. God intended for us to have these people. God intends for us to allow those people into our lives, minds, and hearts.
Let’s look at what God intended a little closer.
As God created the world in which we live, it was good. His grand design and artistry demonstrated from one end to the other. I want to examine this from the perspective of the very beginning. By beginning, I mean the Beginning. Genesis, Creation. Let’s look back to where EVERYTHING started.
- The
first order of business was the give the world light.
- “And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.”–(Genesis 1:4 NKJV)
- We can see again when God
created the land mass that the living organisms which he has created would
exist.
- “And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.”–(Genesis 1:10 NKJV)
- Next, we see God develop the Ecosystem. God, since the beginning, has been providing “Material”
needs to sustain life for this new creation. ß (Future
Blog Post) lol
- “And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”–(Genesis 1:12 NKJV)
- Next, some of the details start to shape up. Day and night are introduced.
- “and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.”–(Genesis 1:18 NKJV)
- Next up, the creatures are created.
- “So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”–(Genesis 1:21 NKJV)
- Next, we have the creation of Land animals:
- “And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”–(Genesis 1:25 NKJV)
- As creation comes to its conclusion, God has a conversation
with Man and explains to him what he has done; in this conversation, he sets an
expectation. The expectation that this
has all been given to Man. The entire
earth is for the use of Man. It has been
given to him.
- Gen. 1:29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you, it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 31yThen God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Now, as most of us know, this is the part of the story that God rested. His job of “Creation” has completed. I can only imagine Man exploring this tremendous new earth, being all new himself, and learning everything much like that a young child would.
Then…….. we fast forward to the Man being placed in the Garden of Eden: “And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” —(Genesis 2:18 NKJV).
Those words are so powerful. “IT IS NOT GOOD” Not good to be alone. You are a part of a community. You may even be a part of multiple communities. You were created and designed to be in relationships. Everyone who God has placed in your life is there for a specific role and a particular reason. God intends for you to consider how to nurture those relationships best prayerfully. Relationships are an excellent thing when we want to share a good time, and triumphs with people! What about when we do NOT want to share, and we are in despair.
Let’s consider for a moment the walk to Emmaus. Two men in a moment of despair. Anguish, pain, and a myriad of negative emotions serving as their common denominator. Then a “Stranger” interrupts them. How much temptation did they face to say, “Hey, just leave us alone!” The scriptures do not say, but you can determine from the passage they are rather emotional. As Barton explains in her book Life Together in Christ: “After expressing some exasperation with Jesus’ apparent cluelessness, they recounted the basic facts of what happened in Jerusalem in fairly succinct terms. And then came that poignant phrase—but we had hoped. These words are simple and yet so profound—pregnant with all the longing and desire that had drawn their little community together in the first place.”
“So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained so that they did not know Him. And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”
(Luke 24:15–17 NKJV)
These two men could have rightfully ignored Jesus on this road. So how do we use the experiences from these stories and apply this to our lives?
- We are created on purpose for a specific purposes
- One of these specific purposes is to build and maintain relationships
- We are meant to INVEST genuinely in those relationships.
- No relationship is by mistake. We may fail to appreciate it from time to time, but it is not a mistake.
- Everyone in your life has a specific role.
- You play a specific role in someone else’s life.
- If you do NOT play a role in someone’s life, find someone in which to invest.
- You may find yourself outside your “Comfort Zone” (It Ok!)
You just never know what God has in the works when we build these relationships.
“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.”–(Hebrews 13:2 NKJV)
Works Cited:
Barton, Ruth Haley. Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community (p. 70). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.
(Luke 24:15–17 NKJV)
https://accordance.bible/link/read/NKJVS#Luke_24:15 }&a��ێ�^j��
Devotional time with Pastor Joel 