By Pastor Joe Palmer
Fellowship Baptist Church
How we view God not only strongly impacts our personal happiness; it also affects how we treat one another.
If I doubt God and am filled with deep apprehension about the future, I will look to people to provide me with the happiness and security which really only God can give to me. I then become demandingly dependent on others. I end up saying in so many words, “I need you, and you better come through for me!” You can guess at where this will lead.
If, however, I believe that God is good and that He loves me, I will look to Him to be my primary source of happiness. I will seek to know Him through studying the Bible and by hanging out with people who can help me in my relationship with Him. By depending on God to take care of me, I can be less dependent on people. I can simply love people because they have intrinsic value. Since I don’t need them absolutely to be happy, I can choose to give to them without demanding something in return.
What would happen in our relationships if we were totally secure in God and free from the need to demand things from others? This might be really good!
If you’ve got a question, feel free to email me at joeandsuzypal@yahoo.com.