Life Ministries

“Lifeshapes” – 5

 

 
     The subject of balance also has to do with our next shape which is the Triangle. The triangle represents “Relationships”…We have three areas of relationships that also must be in balance. If they are not, we will weebble..waabble through life like a tire out of balance, and we will wear out much too soon. The three areas are “up”-“in”- and “out”.
    Jesus lived out his life in these three areas of relationship. It begins with our “Up” relationship with God.  This was the source of the fruitfulness of his ministry and mission…his relationship with the Father. Jesus prayed regularly. You will find that He prayed in the early morning. Before he went about healing and doing miracles, he spent time in prayer – communing with the Father. He had such an intimacy with God the Father that the disciples took notice and asked “Lord, teach us to pray”. Jesus taught them about how important this relationship was when he said “I am the vine and you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit…Apart from me, you can do nothing.” We need His love, we need His wisdom and we need His power, and the only way we can consistently have these in our lives is by abiding…through a daily – consistent – relationship of remaining in the vine. Without the most important “up” relationship on the triangle, we can do nothing; we will accomplish nothing; nothing of eternal value, nothing of eternal worth, nothing with eternal reward.
    Along with the “Up” relationship with His Father, Jesus also had an “In” relationship. By that I mean he invited others into his life to join him in his journey. He selected twelve specifically, so he might be with them, spend time with them, and form strong relationships with them. He shared from within himself – to those closest to him – not only what he believed, but what he knew to be true.
    You could say that our “In” relationships includes our circle of “friends” with whom we can share life. This was not just a “seminary” setting where Jesus was the teacher, and they were the students…it was more than that. A part of his “In” group were Peter, James, and John. They were the closest of his friends. They were the ones he spent most of his time with. It was Peter, James and John, who always went a little further in the garden…a little higher up the mountain. We all need close friends and we all need “best” friends. They are the ones we let “in” to our lives, and with whom we “do” life together. The old saying that “if you want a friend you must be a friend” certainly holds true here. We become closest to those with whom we spend time with. (May or may not be a spouse.)
    Jesus also had an “Out” relationship. He never lost sight of His Father’s vision to reach out to a lost and dying world. He walked among the crowds teaching; healing; feeding; comforting; and reconciling. He didn’t wait for them to come to him; he went to them and ministered at their point of need.
    We were created as three-dimensional beings. Our spirit desires to have a relationship with the one who created us. The spirit desires not to be alone, but to have intimate or close relationships with others. The spirit also has a desire to serve…to minister…to help those who need help; it’s called “compassion”. If we have the spirit of Christ “In” us, we have a spirit that desires all three areas of relationship. When one dimension is missing or suppressed, the others do not work as they should, and we are once again - “out of balance” relationally. The triangle is all about understanding life, and sharing life with others.