by Zeke Flores<\/p>\n
Paul’s words in I Thessalonians 2:8 remind us that some of the greatest blessings we receive from others are found not so much in the gifts they give but in the people they are.<\/p>\nWhen lives become intertwined through fellowship in Christ, it fosters tighter relationships, deeper love, and more enthusiastic motivation. When we invest ourselves in other people, and they in us, we exchange greater help than any mere physical gift can supply. “So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us<\/em>” (I Thessalonians 2:8).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Zeke Flores Paul’s words in I Thessalonians 2:8 remind us that some of the greatest blessings we receive from others are found not so much in the gifts they give but in the people they are. When lives become intertwined through fellowship in Christ, it fosters tighter relationships, deeper love, and more enthusiastic motivation.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1513,456],"class_list":["post-87748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-relationships","tag-unity"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":32436,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-ask-about-my-lovers-past-relationships\/","url_meta":{"origin":87748,"position":0},"title":"How do I ask about my lover’s past relationships?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to know how I can ask about past relationships of my lover. Answer: I assume that by \"lover\" you mean the one you love and not that you are having sex outside of marriage. If you are sexually involved, you are already off on the wrong path.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43051,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/throw-away-relationships\/","url_meta":{"origin":87748,"position":1},"title":"Throw Away Relationships","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton We live in a world of throw-away things. If we don't want something anymore, we simply throw it away or trade it off for something new and different. Man has thrown away his responsibility to God, and then throws away anyone else that tries to stand\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Trashcan.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":38331,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-is-romans-1213-talking-about\/","url_meta":{"origin":87748,"position":2},"title":"Who is Romans 12:13 talking about?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good morning, I came across a comment that was made on a particular verse: Romans 12:13, \"Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.\" Could you please comment on who it is that is distributing the needs of the saints? And that of given to hospitality. In Greek,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43974,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/kindness-and-generosity\/","url_meta":{"origin":87748,"position":3},"title":"Kindness and Generosity","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 58:1-12 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I ran across an interesting article by Aemily Smith, originally published in The Atlantic, November 9, 2014. \u201cScience Says Lasting Relationships Come Down to Two Basic Traits.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was about what factors showed whether a relationship would survive or not. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The basic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67995,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/any-advice-for-a-single-christian\/","url_meta":{"origin":87748,"position":4},"title":"Any advice for a single Christian?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I came across the \"Hope for the Future\" article, and it resonated with my current situation. At 28 years old, I have not yet had my first relationship. I've dated before but have not yet found the right one. As a Christian, it can be discouraging to see\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33019,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-tie-that-binds\/","url_meta":{"origin":87748,"position":5},"title":"The Tie that Binds","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dixie Bowman Sentry Magazine, December 2000 Earthly relationships often inspire and encourage us as we live our lives as Christians. While this is not another article about marriage, divorce, and remarriage, I would fail in my effort to write concerning relationships if I did not first mention the most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87748\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThat’s why helping others must include more than just praying for them; it must also involve an investment of your time, your talent, your treasure, and yourself<\/em>.\n