Relationship Advice From God

Everybody has relationship struggles from time to time in their lives. Disagreements, arguments, frustrations, even infidelity can take center stage. It doesn't have to be that way.

And before you think that this isn't "a Christian problem" you're wrong. Divorce rates between Born-Again Christians (27%)1 and non-Christians (12%)1 in this country are opposite from what we think they'd be. So what's the problem? And how do we fix it? The answer is easy. Go look in a mirror. No, not THAT mirror. The Bible!

Ephesians 5:21 says this, "²¹ Submit to one another." Think about that for a moment. Think about the ramifications of those four words and what they mean in our lives. If taken to the extreme, it would mean that none of us would ever get our way! That's correct. Now we are beginning to see.

Jesus and His disciples were walking one day and He told them this:

“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” - Mark 9:35

That was good advice for the apostles and it is good advice for us in our relationships too. Here's an example.

When I come home after a long day at the office the first thing I want to do is put down my lunch bag and get out of my work clothes. Sometimes, however, my wife has ALSO had a long work day and wants to vent about it. So what do I do?

I could say, "Give me five minutes, will ya?" but that would be putting my self and my desires above those of my wife. So I stand there and listen while she tells me about her day. Is it really that big of a deal? My needs should come last.

God is a strong believer in self-sacrifice and unconditional love. Look what He did for us on the cross! The book of Ephesians tells us to imitate Christ.

"Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. ² Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God." - Ephesians 5:1-2

Life can get frustrating at times but if we can remember to places other's needs above our own, our relationships will flourish and grow. And isn't that why we are here? To learn and grow?

Jesus once told His disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26)


If we are to "take up our cross" like Jesus did, doesn't that mean that He wants us to sacrifice OUR lives for the lives of others, just as He did for us? I think it does.

O The Blood - Gateway Worship

1 "Christians are more likely to experience divorce than are non-Christians," Barna Research Group, 1999-DEC-21, at: http://www.barna.org/ Barna no longer has this report online. However, a review of the report is at: http://www.adherents.com/