Building Stronger Relationships Through Vulnerability and Support

Devotional

Day 1: Inviting God into Our Mess

We all have moments of brokenness and messiness in our lives. It's during these times that we need to remember to invite God into our situations. He is our comforter, our healer, and our guide. He can turn our mess into a message and our test into a testimony.

Psalm 34:18 - "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Reflection: Reflect on a recent situation where you felt broken or messy. Did you invite God into that situation? If not, how could you invite Him into similar situations in the future?

Day 2: The Role of the Holy Spirit in Our Relationships

The Holy Spirit is not just a spiritual concept, but a living presence in our lives. He guides us, comforts us, and prompts us to act in love towards others. Our relationships can be greatly enriched when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our interactions.

Romans 8:26 - "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans."

Reflection: Can you recall a time when you felt the Holy Spirit stirring your heart to reach out, pray for, or encourage someone in your life? How did you respond to that prompting?

Day 3: The Value of Two and You

Every relationship in our lives has value. We each bring unique gifts, talents, and perspectives to our relationships. Recognizing and enhancing our contributions can lead to more fulfilling and successful relationships.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 - "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up."

Reflection: Think about a relationship in your life where you bring unique value. How do you contribute to the success of that relationship? How can you further enhance your contribution?

Sermon Summary

In this sermon, I focused on the importance of relationships and community, drawing from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. I emphasized the value of having someone to lean on in times of need, using personal examples from my life to illustrate this point. I also discussed the importance of inviting others into our stories and being vulnerable with them, as this is where real relationships and community begin to grow. I highlighted the significance of being there for others, not just in words but in presence, and the warmth and security that comes from knowing someone has your back.

In the second part of the sermon, I delved deeper into the concept of backing into each other, covering and protecting each other in times of attack. I stressed the importance of having Jesus and the Holy Spirit as the third person in our relationships, backing into our stories and relationships. I shared how this has been crucial in my own life, particularly in my marriage, and how the Holy Spirit can stir our hearts to pray for and support those we are in relationship with.

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Sermon Clips

1. "I'm going to talk about the value of 2 and the value of you. Two people are better off than one for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble." - 01:49

2. "I value them so much that I also don't want to ever do anything to mess those relationships up. I want them to know how much I value them. I want my wife to know, I want Hardy to know, I want my kids to know, I want my dad to know that I'm always there for them." - 03:15

3. "I think about times in my life whether I've been on a mountain hike and I've tripped and someone helped me up or whether I was on a bike ride with one of my sons just recently and I rolled the bike and how my son was right there to help pick me up." - 07:33

4. "I love this idea of the Holy Spirit of Jesus backing into us. I love that his peace, his grace, his gentleness. I love the idea that he can wake me up to the fact that something's going on in Tracy's story or my relationship with Hardy with my kids." - 09:55

5. "Lord Jesus we invite you into our hearts today, we invite you into our story, we invite you into the mess. We invite you in Lord to this idea that we want you to back up to us. We want to show you the back side, we want to show you the things that we try to keep everyone else from seeing." - 14:02

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