Appreciate It
I Thessalonians 5:14 NKJV 14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
1. 1. Warn the unruly
2.Comfort the faint-hearted
3. Uphold the weak
4. Be patient with all
I Thessalonians 5:15 NKJV 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
1. Don’t wrong (do evil to) those who have wronged you
2. Pursue good for yourself
3. Pursue good for everyone else
Philippians 2:4 NKJV 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Learn to value what God values. Some of these people have missed the most important thing in life—they don’t know God. May God’s mercy be upon you.
1 Timothy 6:21 (TLB) God values people! To be His friend, we have to appreciate (value) people.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 – encourage one another
Romans 12:10 – give preference to one another
Galatians 5:13 – serve one another
1 Peter 5:5 – be humble to one another
John 13:34 – love one another Deep and abiding relationships are not automatic; they are built, they are intentional, and they take time and effort.
4 secrets to great relationships:
1. Authenticity- The secret of being yourself
2. Vulnerability- The secret of sharing yourself
3. Credibility- The secret of getting people to trust you, being trustworthy.
4. Compatibility- The secret of harmony We can impress people from a distance, but we can only influence people when we’re up close.
I John 1:7 NKJV 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Now some bad news… People are going to hurt you while you’re trying to be a friend. You are going to be hurt; this is this is not Heaven. We tried to comfort the faint hearted, but they didn’t appreciate it. We tried to uphold the weak, but they thought we were acting like we were better than them. We tried to be patient, but their drama was just too much; we became impatient. The more you are hurt, the more afraid you become of being hurt. The more afraid you are, the more defensive or protective you become. The more defensive you become, the more inauthentic you become.
1 John 4:18 NIV 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 ²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
My Beginning. My Forever. 