Have you ever read the story of Jacob and Rachel? Jacob was looking for a wife and he was enthralled with Rachel from the moment he saw her. He met with Rachel’s father, Laban, and agreed to work for him for seven years for her hand in marriage. When the seven years were up, Laban tricked Jacob and gave him Leah on his wedding night. Once Jacob learned he was tricked, he was furious; however, he agreed to work another seven years for Rachel. Jacob was demonstrating the worth of Rachel as his wife by his willingness to pour out fourteen years of blood, sweat, and tears into Laban’s land to have her as his wife. He valued her.
Today there is very little our culture places extreme value on, including people. We live in the disposable generation. When something new comes on the market, we want it immediately. Look at the iPhone for example. Most likely everyone who purchased one the first few days it was available already had a working cell phone. They just wanted the latest and greatest model the minute it was available.
Psalm 119:37 says “Turn my eyes away from worthless things…” There are so many things we attribute value to for a short season that are truly worthless in the long run. What value do we place on people and relationships? Are we willing to invest in them as extravagantly as we are the newest form of technology or do we ignore them because of the newest technology? 1 John 2:17 says “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”
In Mathew 22:36 Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is. His response was to love God more than anything else and then He goes on to say it is just as important to love your neighbor as yourself [Matthew 22:37-39]. Jesus made it clear He values relationships above all things.
If we are to live like Jesus, our relationships are to be valued above all things- first with Jesus and then with others. Nothing else holds eternal value. Take some time today to determine what priority you place on relationships. If you aren’t in alignment with the Word of God, it is not too late. Begin investing in the relationships you have today. You’ll see an immediate return for your investment.