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Relationships Relationships are extremely important in our
lives. The most important relationship
is our relationship to God. When we
are in fellowship with God and our relationship with Him is appropriate, then
our other relationships will be what they ought to be. In addition to our relationship with God,
we have our relationships with other people, with God’s creation, and with
ourselves. The problems we face in
life can be traced to problems with one of these relationships. Forlines,
F. Leroy, Biblical Systematics, A Study of the Christian System of Life
and Thought, Luke
12::21 (NLT) … person is a fool to store up
earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. Matthew 22:37-39 (NLT)
Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your
soul, and all your mind. This is the
first and greatest commandment. A
second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love and
Affection Each
of us has a basic need to experience love.
God has demonstrated His love for us through the gift of His Son,
Jesus. Because God’s love for us is so
great, we can do no less than love others.
Love is an important aspect of any good relationship. John 3:16
(NLT) For God so loved the world that
he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish
but have eternal life. God did not
send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. John 15:12-14
(NLT) I command you to love each other
in the same way that I love you. And
here is how to measure it--the greatest love is shown when people lay down
their lives for their friends. You are
my friends if you obey me. I Corinthians
13:13 (NLT) There are three things that will
endure--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love. Authenticity To
be authentic is to be real. It is to
be honest. If you are authentic then
you do not hide behind masks or attempt to hide yourself from others. What people see is who you truly are. It is a waste of time and effort to try to
hide from God. He knows all about
you. God wants you to be authentic
with Him and with others. I John 1:7 (NLT)
But if we are
living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have
fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from
every sin. Luke 2:35
(NLT) ... the
deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce
your very soul. Romans 12:3
(NLT) …Be honest in your estimate of
yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Matthew 6:2
(NLT) When you give a gift to someone
in need, don't shout about it as the hypocrites
do--blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their
acts of charity! Matthew 6:5
(NLT) When you pray, don't be like the
hypocrites who love to pray
publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. Matthew 6:16
(NLT) And when you fast, don't make it
obvious, as the hypocrites do,
who try to look pale and disheveled so people will admire them for their
fasting. Accountability Being
accountable to God and to each other is an important aspect of living for
God. Without accountability it is too
easy to give into the desires of the flesh and this world. Where authenticity and love exist
accountability must also exist. James 5:26
(NLT) Confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other so that you may be healed. Galatians 6:2
(NLT) Share each other's troubles and
problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. James 5:19-20
(NLT) My dear brothers and sisters, if
anyone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back again, you
can be sure that the one who brings that person back will save that sinner from
death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. Harmony and
Unity It
is God’s desire that His family live in harmony and unity. This value like others requires commitment,
development, and effort. Harmony and unity
is important not only because it is necessary for the Church if it is to live
in joy and peace, but it is also an expectation the world has for the
Church. As the world observes the
Church function, the expectation is that harmony and unity will exist. The lost are drawn to the family of God
because of the harmony and unity. Ephesians 4:3 (NLT) Always
keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with
peace. Romans 14:19 (NLT) So
then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. I Corinthians 1:10 (NLT)
…Let there be real harmony so there won't be divisions in the church. I plead
with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)
…Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an
encouragement to those who hear them. Colossians 3:13 (NLT) You
must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who
offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Learning
and Growing Once you come
into a personal relationship with God and His family, it is important that
you learn about God and His ways. It
is important that you grow in your relationship. God’s family, the Church, can help in this
endeavor; in fact, fellowship through small group Bible studies is a great
way to get to know God and the other
members better. II Timothy 3:16 (NLT) All
Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to
make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches
us to do what is right. Matthew 7:24 (NLT) Anyone
who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a
house on solid rock. John 13:17 (NLT) You
know these things--now do them! That is the path of blessing. I Peter 2:2 (NLT) You
must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your
salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, Deuteronomy 17:19 (NLT) He
must always keep this copy of the law with him and read it daily as long as
he lives. That way he will learn to fear the LORD his God by obeying all the
terms of this law. James 1:25 (NLT) But
if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law--the law that sets you
free--and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God
will bless you for doing it. Service
and Support God has a plan
for those who will trust in Him. God
saves us to serve Him and in serving Him, others. Serving God is one of the most fulfilling
experiences a Christian can have. The
opportunity to please God through doing whatever He has called you to do is a
great blessing. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) For
we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we
can do the good things he planned for us long ago. I Peter 2:9 (NLT) But
you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of
priests, God's holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show
others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his
wonderful light. I Corinthians 12:27 (NLT) Now
all of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and
necessary part of it. Romans 12:5 (NLT) so
it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us
has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong
to each other, and each of us needs all the others. Romans 15:2-3a (NLT) We
should please others. If we do what helps them, we will build them up in the
Lord. For even Christ didn't please himself. James 1:27
(NLT) Pure and lasting religion in the
sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in
their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us. |
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