Making Each Other Better

Does she make you a better person? Is he helping you become most who you are supposed to be? Are they building you?

I find the answers to these questions provide tremendous insight into our relationships. 

They remind me of a line in the NT book of Hebrews, "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds." The idea of the verse is to engage in relationships whose byproduct is love.

The Greek word for provoke, is paroxysmon, which is where we get the English word paroxysm, "a sudden outburst of activity." In Greek it means "to spur on, provoke, or incite."

It is actually very interesting the word paroxysmon is used here, as it is essentially the only example in the Bible where the word is used in a sense of provoking something good. All the other examples would be more akin to a sibling provoking his brother or sister to the point of rage (cf. Deut 1.34; Acts 15.39, 17.16).

I wonder how many of our relationships need a "sudden burst of activity?" Or a not so subtle kick in the butt? 

If our relationships aren't making us better people; if they aren't producing love and the things that make the world a better place, it might be time to bust out the spurs!