Biblical Relationships: Redefining Relationships- Aligning Our Relationships With God's Will Day #5

 Good afternoon! I pray you all had an amazing Easter this year. Although it is meant to be done every day, I pray you all had time to reflect on what and why Jesus died on the cross for you. 

Let's start this lesson off with our main focus.

Main Focus: Evaluating and aligning all relationships we have covered (friendships, romantic, family) with God's Will. 

As always let's start off with some scripture (KJV)

1. Matthew 22:37-39

37: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."

38: "This is the first and great commandment."

39: "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

2. Romans 12: 9-10

9: "Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good."

10: "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;"

3. 1 John 4:19

19: "We love Him, because He first loved us."

Lets jump right into the Teaching Points. 

A. Start with Love for God

*Matthew 22:37 is foundational. As we have learned through all these studies, is foundation is key. Everything starts with loving God fully. This sets the tone for every other relationship. 

*Loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind re-centers your motives and purifies your desires. 

B. Loving Others Flows From That

*When we love God first, we begin to see others through His eyes.

*Matthew 22:39 reminds us that loving our neighbors is inseparable from loving God. 

C. Genuine Love is Transformative

*Romans 12:9-10 speaks of sincere, unselfish, and honoring love - not fake or shallow affection. 

*This applies to all relationships: friends, family, dating/marriage. Are they built on a mutual honor or a godly standard?

D. God Loved Us First - So We Can Love Rightly

*1 John 4:19 reminds us we're not manufacturing love - it's a response to God's love. 

*His love is sacrificial, patient, and pure. That's the kind of love we are to model in our relationships. 

Here are some questions to reflect on. 

1. Are my closest relationships helping me grow closer to God - or pulling me away?

2. Do I honor and love others with sincerity and sacrifice, as God has loved me?

3. Is my relationship with God the foundation for how I love others?

I encourage you to do a "relationship inventory." Write down the top 3-5 relationships in your life and prayerfully reflect on how those relationships align with God's will. Then pray over those relationships, asking God for wisdom and grace to love as He loves. 

Dear Father, Thank you for guiding us through this journey of understanding relationships through Your Word. We are grateful for the love You have shown us - the love that transforms hearts and teaches us how to love others well. Help us to keep You at the center of all our relationships. Teach us to walk in honor, respect, and sacrificial love, just as Christ has loved us. Where relationships have been broken, bring healing. Where there is confusion, bring clarity. And where there is distance from You, draw us near. May every connection in our lives be aligned with Your perfect will. In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen. 

If you've read this and realized you don't yet have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, know this: God loves you deeply. He created you, He sees you, and He desires to walk with you in every area of your life - including your relationships. 

Romans 5:8 says "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 10:9-10 says "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

It's not about religion - it's about a relationship. A relationship with the One who gave His life so you could truly live. 

If you are ready to begin that journey, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we’d love to walk with you, answer any questions you may have, and support you however we can.

There is no special prayer you must say. The Bible makes it clear that the only prayer God hears from a sinner is: “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13).
Once you acknowledge that Jesus is who He says He is—that He died and rose again for you—you can know, according to God's Word, that you have eternal life. It's about FAITH in the ONE who created it ALL!