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Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg
The Relationship Keys: Selflessness
The model of Jesus is the laid down life.
Having the right keys is important, isn’t it?
Just talk to someone who has been locked out of their house or who locked their keys in their car.
Throughout the month of February is a focus for us on relationships.
What is the key to healthy, life-giving, God honoring relationships?
We’re not talking about car keys or house keys, but rather, “relationship keys”.
Today’s focus is selflessness.
Some foundational truths:
1. Relationships matter – in fact, you wouldn’t be wrong to say relationships are everything!
2. Relationships are hard – there seem to be fewer examples in our lives of healthy relationships.
Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
This is the heart of God: your relationships matter!
The way you love the people around you matters.
John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 15:10-13
If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Philippians 2:3-8
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
1. Selfless love means it’s not about me.
-We tend to want what we want, and we expect others to care about our needs and wants.
-In Godly relationships we choose to take the focus off ourselves and look to those we love.
-Imagine what a relationship would be like if both people in the relationship cared about the other’s needs over their own?
Important Disclaimer:
This does not mean that we are to be doormats, allowing someone to hurt us. Some of us have been a part of unhealthy, co-dependent relationships. We are grateful for the important work of counselors and mental health professionals that help us walk through the healing from destructive relationships. At COTN, the ministry of Celebrate Recovery also helps us find handles in creating healthy boundaries in our relationships. More information is available at cotnaz.org/celebraterecovery.
2. Selfless love means sacrifice which means selfless loves take courage.
-It is easy to be selfish, it is always much harder to demonstrate selfless love.-Love is not the same in all our relationships. We don’t love our spouses in the same way we love our children. We don’t love our co-workers in the same way we love our in-laws. But we love nonetheless. And love is sacrifice which means it always take courage.
-The selfless love of Jesus takes courage.
The bottom line:
The model of Jesus is the laid down life.
Scriptures for Further Study/Reflection:
1 Corinthians 13
Proverbs 18:24
Romans 12:10
Romans 12:16
Romans 14:19
1 Corinthians 12:25
Galatians 5:13
Galatians 6:2
Ephesians 4:2, 32
Ephesians 5:21
Colossians 3:13
Colossians 3:16
1 Thessalonians 4:18
Hebrews 10:24
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