Relationships To the Glory of God
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is LOVE.” (1 John 4:7-8)
God is holy. God is just. God is merciful. God is love. Thus, when we consider all of God's glorious attributes, we also see that God is...Relationship. He is the very definition of a loving connection, a relational association, and a unified bond between two or more people that comes together for a specific purpose. The fact that God is a trinity or tri-unity of three distinct persons as one God is the very cause and motivation behind all human relationships.
As image bearers of this perfect triune God, we are to reflect His relational reality of oneness. It is no wonder then that God desires that we dwell with Him and each other in the fellowship of His love. This is why "love" is the fulfillment of all of God's law and why all the good things in life are better when shared with someone else.
Relationships is what matters most in the life that we are given.
From the beginning of God's creation, God knew that relationships would be a necessary way for the enjoyment and reproduction of His creation. The first man had a relationship with His MAKER, and was given a MISSION to tend and keep the garden, but nothing was complete until God made a MATE for him to share the blessings with. So the LORD said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him" (Gen. 2:18).
God made both male and female and beautifully brought them together in His beautiful way in His beautiful time. God began all relationships with a covenant of oneness that matches what He experiences in the Godhead. All relationships flow out of this first relationship between Adam and Eve, which was meant to reflect the greater relationship of the unity of the community of the tri-unity of God.
Even when mankind fell into sin and severed their relationship with God, Jesus made a way for relationships to be healed and restored. He came humbly to the earth as a Man and obeyed all that the Father gave to Him to restore and repair what was broken.
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was" (John 17:1-5).
Out of this prayer, we learn some foundational things about relationship in their essence be looking at how Jesus experiences perfect union and communion with the Father and the Spirit.
Relationship consists of love as shown through:
There are many other aspects of healthy relationship that reflect and bring glory to God but it all starts with the love that God has for us and the love one has for another person and the way we communicate, experientially know, give and receive, and share life together with someone else.
Since God is love, we are not only commanded to love one another but God has built into us a deep desire TO LOVE and BE LOVED.
But when sin entered the world, we became broken people who have various issues, with diverse buttons to push, and differing degrees of sorrow, trauma, and pain to deal with. Instead of simply loving and trusting each other, we often replace love for LUST and care for others with our desire to DEFEND OUR PERSONAL TERRITORY.
SO WHY ARE SO MANY RELATIONSHIPS SO BROKEN?
Relationships break down due to:
Relationship are broken due to: Sin, Selfishness, and Pride which points to SELF as the Problem!
S - Self-seeking
E - Envy
L - Lying
F - Fleshly desires
It is no wonder that Jesus calls us to deny your SELF, take up the cross daily, and to follow Him (Luke 9:23).
In all human relationships, we are to learn to bring the cross into a broken situations and to show mercy to those who have hurt us by bearing with them and forgiving them.
In order to build up relationships, let heed these words from Paul to the Church:
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on LOVE, which is the bond of perfection" (Col. 3:12-14).
Does this describe the way that you are doing your part in your relationships?
Instead of focusing on how another person in doing, it is good to start with your own heart and look to God for Him to show you any areas where you are not "putting on the love of Christ".
As 1 Corinthians 13 says, "the love of Christ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and never fails."
Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 15:5-6)
God is holy. God is just. God is merciful. God is love. Thus, when we consider all of God's glorious attributes, we also see that God is...Relationship. He is the very definition of a loving connection, a relational association, and a unified bond between two or more people that comes together for a specific purpose. The fact that God is a trinity or tri-unity of three distinct persons as one God is the very cause and motivation behind all human relationships.
As image bearers of this perfect triune God, we are to reflect His relational reality of oneness. It is no wonder then that God desires that we dwell with Him and each other in the fellowship of His love. This is why "love" is the fulfillment of all of God's law and why all the good things in life are better when shared with someone else.
Relationships is what matters most in the life that we are given.
From the beginning of God's creation, God knew that relationships would be a necessary way for the enjoyment and reproduction of His creation. The first man had a relationship with His MAKER, and was given a MISSION to tend and keep the garden, but nothing was complete until God made a MATE for him to share the blessings with. So the LORD said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him" (Gen. 2:18).
God made both male and female and beautifully brought them together in His beautiful way in His beautiful time. God began all relationships with a covenant of oneness that matches what He experiences in the Godhead. All relationships flow out of this first relationship between Adam and Eve, which was meant to reflect the greater relationship of the unity of the community of the tri-unity of God.
Even when mankind fell into sin and severed their relationship with God, Jesus made a way for relationships to be healed and restored. He came humbly to the earth as a Man and obeyed all that the Father gave to Him to restore and repair what was broken.
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was" (John 17:1-5).
Out of this prayer, we learn some foundational things about relationship in their essence be looking at how Jesus experiences perfect union and communion with the Father and the Spirit.
Relationship consists of love as shown through:
- Mutual Communication - “spoke these words”
- Knowing Someone - “they may know You”
- Giving and Receiving - “as You have given Me”
- Sharing Life Together - “glorify Me together with Yourself”
There are many other aspects of healthy relationship that reflect and bring glory to God but it all starts with the love that God has for us and the love one has for another person and the way we communicate, experientially know, give and receive, and share life together with someone else.
Since God is love, we are not only commanded to love one another but God has built into us a deep desire TO LOVE and BE LOVED.
But when sin entered the world, we became broken people who have various issues, with diverse buttons to push, and differing degrees of sorrow, trauma, and pain to deal with. Instead of simply loving and trusting each other, we often replace love for LUST and care for others with our desire to DEFEND OUR PERSONAL TERRITORY.
SO WHY ARE SO MANY RELATIONSHIPS SO BROKEN?
Relationships break down due to:
- Not Trusting God (Gen 3)
- Not Triumphing Over Sin (Gen 4)
- Not Thinking of Others More than Self (Gen 6)
Relationship are broken due to: Sin, Selfishness, and Pride which points to SELF as the Problem!
S - Self-seeking
E - Envy
L - Lying
F - Fleshly desires
It is no wonder that Jesus calls us to deny your SELF, take up the cross daily, and to follow Him (Luke 9:23).
In all human relationships, we are to learn to bring the cross into a broken situations and to show mercy to those who have hurt us by bearing with them and forgiving them.
In order to build up relationships, let heed these words from Paul to the Church:
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on LOVE, which is the bond of perfection" (Col. 3:12-14).
Does this describe the way that you are doing your part in your relationships?
Instead of focusing on how another person in doing, it is good to start with your own heart and look to God for Him to show you any areas where you are not "putting on the love of Christ".
As 1 Corinthians 13 says, "the love of Christ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and never fails."
Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 15:5-6)
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