{"id":647,"date":"2011-02-01T18:08:55","date_gmt":"2011-02-01T23:08:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.fbclafayette.org\/?p=647"},"modified":"2011-12-12T09:28:30","modified_gmt":"2011-12-12T14:28:30","slug":"want-deeper-relationships-prioritize-your-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/want-deeper-relationships-prioritize-your-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Want Deeper Relationships? Prioritize Your Time."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ClockPeople long for deeper relationships.\u00a0 I know I do.\u00a0 However, we can’t seem to swallow the most elemental principle behind living life together: it takes time<\/strong>.\u00a0 Instead, we stick to the convenient hand shake and rapid small talk after a Sunday worship service.\u00a0 We often expect quality relationships to be convenient, when Jesus certainly did not.<\/p>\n

We interns are excited about Faith Baptist Church’s new theme, Living Life Together<\/em>.\u00a0 We’ve had the opportunity to experience a bit of life together and we are already tasting some of its fruit.\u00a0 We are striving to sharpen each other.\u00a0 Just as Proverbs 27:17 says, \u201cIron sharpens iron, just as one man sharpens another.\u201d\u00a0 Our idea of iron-sharpening-iron is to engage each other’s hearts in a way that will make us more useful for God’s glory.\u00a0 Iron-sharpening friendships are blessings we would wish for you as well.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Key to Deeper Relationships<\/h2>\n

Why do we often feel closer to our friends from work than with our church family?\u00a0 The simplest answer boils down to time<\/em>.\u00a0 We aren’t willing to sacrifice our tight schedule.\u00a0 I’m preaching to myself here.\u00a0 The only reason I’m becoming close to the other interns is because I’m forced to sit in an office with them all day, not because I decided to spend time<\/em> with them.<\/p>\n

How Did Jesus Spend His Time?<\/h2>\n

Jesus was a fan of spending time with his closest followers.\u00a0 He must have been a fan to be willing to drag them with him wherever he went.\u00a0 The twelve disciples not only listened to his preaching events, but consistently ate what he ate and slept where he slept.\u00a0 We can be sure they traveled endless miles together as they hoped from town to town.\u00a0 I would bet they stayed up late discussing Jesus’ teaching together and they were comfortable sharing life together.\u00a0 In fact, they became so comfortable that they fought about who was the greatest in their group right under the nose of their Creator!\u00a0 Jesus used that opportunity to show them the ugliness in their hearts that they had never seen.\u00a0 All that time together revealed their hearts in a light that small talk never could.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, simply spending time with people won’t automatically result in great connections.\u00a0 After all, our most tense relationships are often with those whom we spend the most time (like our families).\u00a0 However, in an effort to keep the message of this blog simple and memorable, we will stick to one conclusion.\u00a0 Faith’s theme could equally mean: Spending Time Together<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A Springboard to Spending Time Together<\/h2>\n

If you are wondering how to begin spending time with people, here is some inspiration for you to come up with your own ideas:<\/p>\n