John Shirk

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JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Key Element for Thriving Relationships is hope.

According to First Corinthians 13:7, love always hopes.

Whenever love is in the picture, hope is in view.  God’s love fills us with overflowing hope.

That hopeful perspective shines in our relationships with one another. One dimension of this hope is seeing the potential of others. We see someone else in the image of God, and treat them with dignity and respect. We see what they are capable of becoming under the influence of God’s grace.

Jesus loved Peter through his many flaws and failures. He never gave up on him. Instead, He prayed for him and worked with him.  In the process, Peter was groomed for leadership in the church that changed many lives for the glory of God. That is how God can use hope when it is expressed in love.

Hope is a key element for thriving relationships that honor God.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Key Element for Thriving Relationships is Protection.

According to First Corinthians 13:7, “Love always protects.”

One of the vivid examples of this occurred when Jesus was born. Even as Joseph and Mary were celebrating His delivery, an angel warned Joseph in the middle of the night to get up and take the child and his mother to Egypt. The situation was urgent. Herod was searching for the child to kill him.

Without delay, Joseph got up and took his family to Egypt until the danger had passed.

Joseph serves as an example for us today, to be aware of dangers that threaten the safety of our loved ones, and to take action to protect them. That includes influences that would attempt to lure our loved ones away from God.

Protection is a key element to thriving relationships that honor God.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is First Corinthians 15:57.

“Thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

One of the memorable upsets in Winter Olympics history was when the United States defeated the Soviet Union in men’s hockey in 1980. They won by one goal-4 to 3. At the end of the game, commentator Al Michaels asked the question, “Do you believe in miracles?” For the follower of Jesus, the answer is a resounding “YES!”

The Christian faith is built on the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He died, and then overcame death by coming to life. What is impossible with humans is possible with God. Because of the resurrection, we can live in hope and victory.

First John 5:4 asks the question, “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

This faith-building verse highlights the victory that we have through faith in Jesus Christ in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Key Element for Thriving Relationships is forgiveness.

First Corinthians 13:5 says that love keeps no record of wrongs. When we love someone, we are not interested in keeping a scorecard of all the wrong things they have done against us.

Constantly digging for dirt on someone’s record can bring back feelings of hurt and anger until it leads to bitterness and thoughts of revenge.

But there is another way forward that can lead to healing and sometimes, reconciliation. That way is forgiveness, which releases us from counting someone’s sins against them, and enables us to overcome evil with good.

By God’s grace, we can love those people in our lives who are less than perfect, without excusing or enabling their wrong behavior.

Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Forgiveness is a key element for thriving relationships that honor God.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is James 1:12.

James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

To persevere is to persist in something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

As we follow Jesus, we are going to face difficult days. Our love for God will be tested. It might come through persecution. It might come through disappointments or conflicts that weigh us down. Jesus promised we would have trouble in this life. But He also promised ultimate victory and blessing for those who were faithful to Him. There is reward for faithfulness through times of testing.

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to stay faithful to Jesus through the trials of life in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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JOHN SHIRK – Todays’ Faith-Building Verses are Philippians 3, verses 13 and 14.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

In the Winter Olympics, you will not see a skier looking back as they race down the slope. Looking back would cause them to lose their focus on where they are going and lose their forward momentum.

The Apostle Paul gives us direction for our focus by his example. He did not want to look back on his journey with regrets or with a sense of retreat. He was focused on moving forward with Jesus, step by step. He was on a journey. He had not yet arrived, but he was making good progress.

These faith-building verses inspire us to keep moving forward with our eyes on the prize in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Key Element for Thriving Relationships is love.

First Corinthians 13 is often cited as the love chapter in the Bible. It gives an in-depth description on the nature of love-what it is, and what it is not. The chapter begins by talking about its importance for the Christian faith.

Verse 1 says, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

For all of the ways we can exercise our faith in service and sacrifice, love is the purest motivation and highest expression. Christ died on a cross. His love held Him there, and His love is reliable to save us, transform us, and draw us to a personal relationship with Him.

Love is a key element for thriving relationships that honor God.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verses are First Peter 1:18 and 19.

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life….., but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

Some of the best athletes in the world are competing for the gold in Beijing. However, there are treasures even more valuable to embrace.

Gold or silver medals are awards, showing the achievements of athletes, but the blood of Jesus shed at the cross reveals His accomplishment to pay the price for our sins.

According to Ephesians 1:7, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

These faith-building verses highlight the value of Christ’s blood to be worth more than gold in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com