Relationships are Premiere

Relationships are Premiere

Our impression of relationships– Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.

Jesus’ impressionsof relationships– Verse 22– But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

Can we understand at a deeper level the premiere status Jesus gives to relationships? 

Job wrote in chapter 11:7-12 7 “Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? 8 “They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? 9 “Its measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea. 10 “If He passes by or shuts up, Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him? 11 “For He knows false men, And He sees iniquity without investigating. 12 “An idiot will become intelligent When the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.

There are many different examples of relationships, but I list five below that are some of the most important.

1. Jesus is our primary relationship that needs to be right.  In Matthew 22:37 Jesus states the very strong level of importance in our relationship with Him where he says, 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  Every part of our being is to love Jesus first of all and foremost.  All other relationships are filtered through our relationship with Jesus.

2. Our marriage relationship is also vital to growing in our walk with the Lord.  Ephesians 5:31 shows what must happen for this relationship to be all Christ wants it to be. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.  The two are now one and that bond of love in the marriage relationship makes that “couple” very productive in their walk with the Lord.  Their influence through prayer and Bible study is at a premium in the everyday life of a believer.  That is why Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?  Two cannot become one when they have two different sources for their love.   Christ must be the glue that holds two people closer together and He is the only one who can make the marriage flourish and not flounder.  The miracle in Cana was about much more than just turning water into wine.

3. Friendships are so important for the believer.  In John 15:14 Jesus says 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you.  We are friends with the Son of God!!  What a great starting point for learning how to be a true friend.  A true friend can be closer than a sibling as said in Proverbs 18:24 But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  Jesus is that kind of friend and we need to learn from Him about how to treat other people we call “friends.”

4. Work relationships can either make us or break us.  To be a good worker and follow the leadership of a boss or lead others as their boss is very important.   Colossians 3:23 gives us an example of the right attitude when we work.  Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,  Business owners love workers that are examples of that verse and more work gets done under better circumstances when we live that type of life and work that way.

5. Congregational lifestyles need Jesus in them as well.   Matthew 18:20 says. 20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst. Paul further emphasized the need for a flock to have a shepherd and for that shepherd to be led by the Holy Spirit.  Acts 20:28 says. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.  When a lost person comes into your church they should sense the great love we have for each other and it should draw them into seeking a relationship with Christ because of what they see in the church people.

”Selflessness is probably the least lived characteristic of a Christian, but needs to be seen in all believers.  We are more like Jesus when we are selfless in our attitude about everything.  BUT IT JUST DOESN’T MAKE IT ANY EASIER TO BE THAT WAY.  Philippians 2:3-7 gives us the true example and how it should be in our life. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  

Time for us to give relationships the highest priority when living a born again life.  Jesus has to be at our core and then everything else falls into place.

The Pilgrimage continues…..

David Warren