April 11, 2007

Relationships. It’s what life is all about. Everything in your life revolves around relationships. It starts off with your parents and grandparents. Then your siblings. Friends at school. Teachers. Later a girlfriend or boyfriend, a husband or wife. Employers. Fellow employees. Neighbors. Children. Grandchildren. 

You name it, life is filled with relationships. I met someone recently who talked about their life to me and the one common thread that I recognized was that every relationship in their life was sour to them. They have problems with their spouse, their kids, their boss, their parents – there were no exceptions! And of course all of the problems come from everyone else, not the person who was talking to me. 

What is your life like? Are your relationships good? Healthy? Strong, even? Or are they weak, strained and tiring to you? If that’s true, where does the fault lie?

It’s easy to blame things on someone else – it’s what little kids do, and some folks never grow out of that. But God wants us to “grow in grace”, and part of that growth process is learning to take responsibility for our shortcomings and our actions. 

Did you know that relationships help define whether you’re identified as a Christian or not? Jesus said “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35) If the church is rife with problems, dissensions and bad feelings, the stranger off the street won’t feel God’s love and won’t be attracted to become a “Christian”, if that’s all they see. 

Another identifying part of a true Christian is the desire to be around other believers on a regular basis. I meet people all the time who profess to be saved “but I don’t go to church”, they say. Why not? Not enough time, Sunday is my only day off, the church is filled with hypocrites… oh, the excuse list goes on and on. 

Folks, one of the signs that you’ve started a new relationship with God is your desire to tell others about your experience and your desire to be an active part of God’s family – i.e. the church. Our relationship with other Christians is one of the greatest testimonies about the reality of God’s love, if it’s what it should be. If there is a feeling of love and family in your church (like there should be, no exceptions), then Christ is glorified and every other relationship in our life will improve. 

It all starts with God. What is your relationship with God like? Have you humbled yourself, accepted his forgiveness and been filled with His spirit? If you want to improve the other relationships in your life, that’s the place to start!

 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)