John Shirk

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Psalm 23:4.

With the LORD as my Shepherd, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me.”

Life is not without danger, but we are not without help. As our good shepherd, Jesus looks out for His followers. His grace is a firm grip that protects us from enemies in dark places, such as the devil.

Jesus said about His followers in John 10:28, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” So, we can find encouragement in the power of God’s love to protect our salvation and be our source of strength through troubled times.

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to find comfort in God’s presence in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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

This loving quality is included in the fruit of the Spirit. We can learn patience by understanding how God’s patience has given us opportunity to soften our heart toward Him.

With patience, we have the ability to wait for long periods of time without getting annoyed or upset. Another way of describing patience is remaining calm when dealing with conflict. Patience keeps us from escalating the tension with angry outbursts or hurtful words. Instead, we look for solutions to work things out in the course of time.

Proverbs 15:18 highlights the value of patience in times of tension:

“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.”

Patience 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 to Express Gratitude.

Saying “Thank you” to someone expresses gratitude and shows our appreciation for someone’s influence in our lives.

It is interesting to note how Paul the Apostle expresses thanks.

He said in Philippians 1:3, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel.”

He told Philemon in verse 4, “I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus.”

There is a pattern by which Paul expresses thanks to God for particular churches or individuals. And then he specifically identifies the reason for his gratefulness.

Expressing gratitude is a key element for thriving relationships that honor God.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Psalm 23:3.

With the LORD as my Shepherd, “He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”

Before knowing Jesus, our heart is polluted and corrupted by sin and wrong motives. But God’s grace is a life-changer. He is able to remove the pollution of our hearts to make them pure. He is able to correct wrong motives and make them rightly motivated by His love.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “For nourishment, comfort, exhilaration, and refreshment, no wine can rival the love of Jesus. Drink deeply.”

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to find refreshment and direction by following Jesus in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Key Element for Thriving Relationships is Honoring our Parents or Guardians.

This is one of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Respect for authority starts on the home front. One of the ways we can show respect for Mom and Dad as children is to obey them. The reason for this, according to Ephesians 6:1. is that this is right.

Honoring Mom and Dad expresses gratitude for their sacrifice and support when we were children. First Timothy 5:4 says that “if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family, and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.”

Honoring our Parents or Guardians is a key element for thriving relationships that honor God.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Psalm 23:1.

David, a man after God’s own heart made this statement about his relationship with God. “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

For David, knowing God was the passion of his heart and the fulfillment of his life.

Having a relationship with God does not mean we will gain more of the things that we want in this world, but we will have the grace that is sufficient for our needs. Our greatest need is forgiveness, and when Jesus went to the cross, He was extending His mercy to sinners who desperately need Him.

Jesus said in John 10:14, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I lay down my life for the sheep.” He also said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to find fulfillment in knowing Jesus as our Good Shepherd in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Isaiah 48:17.

This is what the LORD says-your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”

The life that God intends for us is to move us toward genuine freedom, complete love, and eternal life.

That is what the grace and truth of Jesus Christ is able to do for us. His commands forbidding certain actions and thoughts are not meant to ruin our fun or make us miserable. God knows how we are wired. He knows how certain behaviors and attitudes can destroy our lives, our relationships, and our freedom. Those behaviors and attitudes also grieve the heart of God and are contrary to His character.

In His wisdom and love, God has revealed His plan for our lives, and that plan is to live by faith in Jesus and love Him with all our being. That plan is life-giving and trustworthy.

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to be teachable to the way of God in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Key Element for Thriving Relationships is a Testimony of faith.

Everyone has a story. When we come to faith in Christ, that story becomes a redemption story.

Out of the overflow of our heart, the mouth speaks words of praise and gratitude because of what God has done in our lives. By sharing our story with others, we invite others to see the goodness of God.

Not everyone might want to hear our story. There is wisdom in being sensitive to that. But where people are interested in hearing how God has worked in our lives, our story can build the faith of others and open doors of transparency with them.

Psalm 66:16 says, “Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.”

Sharing our testimony with others 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 sharing how God is at work among us.

In Acts 14:27, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch where they had been commissioned for their missionary service.

On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

These kinds of reports encourage others with updates on how God is moving in the world today. Lives are being changed. People are coming to faith. The Gospel is advancing into new territory.

By sharing how we have seen God at work, we can be voices that motivate and mobilize the church into vibrant ministry.

Sharing how God is at work among us is a key element for thriving relationships that honor God.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com