Today’s ONE THING: The Key to a Great and Enduring Relationship

• John 4:15  The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 

For many, choosing or rejecting Christianity is about whether or not it works for them – “that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

Even our best efforts at practicing our faith can become about us.  Our Bible reading can be about finding a word of encouragement to help us through a tough spot, our prayers can be mainly about telling God what we want him to do for us, and our faith practices can become about getting God off our back and making Him feel obligated to do what we want Him to do.

It’s like the man or woman who walks away from their marriage because their spouse just doesn’t make them happy anymore.  It’s like those fair-weather friends that hang around because you are in a position to help them.  Utilitarian what-can-you-do-for-me relationships just don’t last and while they do they’re not very fulfilling.

What makes for a good marriage that will last?  What is the basis of a true friendship?  And most importantly, how does one make their Christian faith really work?

The key for having a great marriage, friendship or relationship with God is simple: You must be “other-focused”.

If you marry someone only because they make you feel great then your marriage will only last until someone else comes along and makes you feel greater.  If your friendships are mainly about what your friends can do for you then your friendships will only last until someone comes along and can help you more.  If your faith is mainly about what God can do for you, then the moment God disappoints you bail.

Dear friend, whether it is your relationship with a lover, a friend or God, what will make a relationship meaningful and enduring comes not by what they can do for you, or even what you can do for them, but rather a desire to simply be with the one loved.

The moment you move from, “I love you because…” to “I love being with you” you are on the road to a lasting and fulfilling relationship.

And here’s the irony, a relationship like that fosters a desire in both parties to serve the other and you end up getting far more out of the relationship than you ever bargained for in the beginning.