August 16 Devotion - Wise Relationships

My prayer for you is that you will overflow more and more with love for others, and at the same time keep on growing in spiritual knowledge and insight, ¹⁰ for I want you always to see clearly the difference between right and wrong, and to be inwardly clean, no one being able to criticize you from now until our Lord returns. ¹¹ May you always be doing those good, kind things that show you are a child of God, for this will bring much praise and glory to the Lord.

وَهذَا أُصَلِّيهِ: أَنْ تَزْدَادَ مَحَبَّتُكُمْ أَيْضًا أَكْثَرَ فَأَكْثَرَ فِي الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَفِي كُلِّ فَهْمٍ، 10حَتَّى تُمَيِّزُوا الأُمُورَ الْمُتَخَالِفَةَ، لِكَيْ تَكُونُوا مُخْلِصِينَ وَبِلاَ عَثْرَةٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْمَسِيحِ، 11مَمْلُوئِينَ مِنْ ثَمَرِ الْبِرِّ الَّذِي بِيَسُوعَ الْمَسِيحِ لِمَجْدِ اللهِ وَحَمْدِهِ.

Philippians 1:9-11 

Our upbringing and past experiences can influence/hinder our ability to build trusting relationships with others. I believe that we should be building relationships that are based on genuine trust, devotion and loyalty. As believers, we have a mutual interest in our faith in Jesus Christ, and our relationship with Jesus should form the foundation of all our relationships.

Some people; unfortunately even amongst ‘Christians’; base their relationships on personal ambition, selfishness and/or need for control. When we depend on another person for our happiness and security or take advantage of someone for our own personal gain, we are not building wise, lasting relationships nor are we acting in a Christian manner.

                                     

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself and others:

Abba Father, thank You for Your deep and everlasting love for me and Your abundant blessings and for the riches of Your grace in my life. Lord, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I may be a true friend who comes alongside others without any selfish motives. Help me Lord to strengthen others as You have strengthened me, and to be able to give others wise advice that stems from You Lord. I pray that my love for my fellow believers may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that I may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.  In Your name Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, I pray to The Father. To Jesus be the glory, the power, the dominion, the majesty and the blessings forever and ever and unto ages of all ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein