Relational Health: Getting Along With People (Part 2) Series

Relational Health: Getting Along With People

By Shannon Lewis Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Living Springs Assembly of God

Bandera, Texas

www.lsagbandera.com

Philippians 2: 1-5

1So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.3Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,…

Tonight we’re going to conclude our 2 part series dealing with Relational Health: Getting Along With People

The last time we visited this series we looked at:

The 6 most important words: “I admit I made a mistake”

The 5 most important words: “You did a good job”

And

The 4 most important words: “What do you think”

Tonight were going to consider:

The 3 most important words: “After you please”

The 2 most important words: “Thank you”

The 1 most important word: “We”

And

The LEAST important word: “I”

To say the least, relationships are tricky and the words we inject into those relationships either create health or disease. It’s important that we view our relationships as they truly are; living and dynamic. As such, it’s important that we treat them with special care. Relationships are like a delicate flower. Flowers need special care and attention if they are going to flourish and so it is with our relationships.

A gentle showering of water on flowers is what kind words are to relationships. It causes life, health and growth to spring forth.

The 3 most important words: “After you please.”

Philippians 2:4 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

If our relationships are going to be healthy relationships we must learn to put others before ourselves.

The late, great Paul Bear Bryant said, “I’m just a plowhand from Arkansas, but I have learned how to hold a team together; how to lift some men up, how to calm others down, until finally they’ve got one heartbeat together, a team. There are just three things I’d ever say; if anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes real good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you.”

When praise is to be given in relationships try to be the one giving it rather than the one desiring it.

To put others before ourselves is to be like Christ. We see very clearly all through scripture that Jesus consistently put others before himself.

More concerned for the needs of other people, Jesus often forgot about his own needs.

Once such example is found in Matthew’s Gospel; Matthew recounts that Herod had beheaded John the Baptist and John’s disciples had run to tell Jesus of the news that they had just buried him. Upon hearing this new, the Bible tells us that Jesus had entered into a ship and departed into a desert place to be alone. But when the people had heard of it, they went by foot to where Jesus was and he seeing them was moved with compassion toward them and healed their sick. Being late in the evening, his disciples now come to him and say, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

Jesus responds by saying, “Yeah, you’re right. Let them go and buy for themselves. I’m tired, exhausted and saddened at the news of John’s death.”

Actually Jesus responds by saying, ““They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” Could he be teaching his disciples that they must put others before themselves? I think so. “You give them something to eat”. Well the problem was that they only had 5 loaves and 2 fish and among so many, it was next to nothing. Jesus takes what they have, blesses it and then breaks it. Giving it to his disciples, they begin to distribute food to every one of them that were seated.

What does this teach us about the Lord? It shows us that he thought about others and their needs above his own. Jesus’ whole attitude here is “after you please”. Even in his grief and exhaustion he would think of others more highly than himself and would teach his disciples the value of this principle as well.

Let me make an observation here. To live in our relationships with this kind of attitude is not to suggest we cannot or don’t need to take time for ourselves. Look at what Jesus did after everyone had been served.