The Cost of a Relationship

Here's the weekly devotion sent to me by Anita at inspirewoman.com. Hugs, Letty ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Faithful One, Have you ever been in a place where someone trampled on your heart? Perhaps you have poured out your life to serve someone but instead of feeling embraced as a gift, you feel used up and tossed aside. How do you respond when you are in a relationship with someone you love who acts independently without thinking about how the consequences of their behavior affect you? May I share with you what God taught me? Do you remember God's euphoria when He poured Himself out to create the world? After six days of high energy and extravagant design, the Bible declared in Gen 1:31 that "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the sixth day." In spite of God's goodness, man sinned against God. Sin continued from one generation to the next and grew from bad to worse. Have you ever wondered how God felt when He gave so much and received so little in return? Gen 6:6-8 tells us that "The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth - men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air - for I am grieved that I have made them." In spite of the heartache, God does not give up on the dream that humankind would one day represent Him. So as the story unfolds, we see God sending Jesus to earth. The birth of the Savior was God's statement to the world that He would come in person to fight for His dream. Jesus would represent God as the perfect one and then all human kind *****ceived Jesus would receive His perfection by faith. Oh Faithful One, what are you willing to do to fight for the dream God has given you? Phil 2:6-8 tells us that Jesus, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!" Realize the beginning of God's work to fight for His dream required Jesus leaving the security and comfort of royal surroundings to come to an imperfect earth. It required Jesus laying down for a season what was His right and allowing Himself to be made nothing. Though He was King, He was willing to be a servant for God's purpose to be fulfilled. Oh Faithful One, does God have a dream for your marriage, your relationships at work or with someone in your family or community? Realize that when Jesus came, it was to save a relationship. This Christmas, I wonder if God is inviting you to fellowship with Him in His sufferings and to experience the cost of offering forgiveness to those around you in order to save a relationship? Perhaps you are in a season of mourning and are grieving the loss of your beloved. Would you place your heartache at the feet of Jesus as your way of fellowship with God in His suffering when He had to be separated from Jesus for a season? This Christmas, will you lay down at the manger of Jesus, the gift of paying the cost of a relationship? I pray this devotion blessed you in a special way. When I pray for you I hear a victory song. I believe in you because I believe in the power of God's Word revealed in you as you put His Word into action. Love, Anita

Thank you Letty! The message is so timely and touched my heart! Love ya! God Bless, Lynda Phil. 4:8

It to came to me when I most needed it. God bless you, Letty

Letty, What an appropriate devotional for you!! Doesn't God just take your breath away? When you need to hear something from Him, He will make a way for that message to come across. Who would have thought that God would use the technology of email to speak to you? Love, Dawn

thank you for your sharing this with us.

That is so beautiful and sooo perfect for this stressful and sometimes overlooked time of year. Thank you for sharing, I am emailing it out to my friends. Love you! God Bless, Deborah