For the benefit of our lives on earth, our Heavenly Father, in His infinite wisdom and grace, has established and provided many types of relationships. He designed them to support and bless every individual from childhood through adulthood. Sometimes we forget that it was Him that established the first marital union, and He made it the starting point that brought all the other relationships into play. Parents, grandparents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends, all of them are possible because of the brilliance of our Heavenly Father. In His Word, Acts 17:26(NLT) tells us, “From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.”
God wants us to live in His love so that the love we share is a conduit of His strength, faith, and power. His love makes all the difference in an individual’s life, and He has given us the great privilege of sharing that love with others. This is important for us to understand, because many people assume that their way of loving and sharing with others is sufficient and doesn’t need to change. This isn’t the case.
Forgiveness, restoration, generosity, patience, kindness, and acceptance are necessary to maintain all good and quality relationships. As we grow and mature in Christ, these attributes become deeper and more apart of us. This is what our Heavenly Father requires. We must also know that as our relationships grow and develop, they are going to require more of us. They will pull on our personal reservoirs of spiritual strength, faith, and love. If we haven’t built up these reservoirs, we sometimes dismiss or cut-off the people in our relationships that are holding up a mirror for us. This mirror reflects that it’s time for us to mature in the love of God in Jesus Christ in a greater way.
Some of us play the blame game and ignore God’s call to go deeper in love, faith, and spiritual strength. We end up hurting individuals that should have feasted from the love of God in our hearts, and that isn’t His Will. He commands us in Ephesians 4:30-32(NLT), “30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
Meaningful and quality relationships are a byproduct of loving God and being obedient to His Word. They are rewards that come with living and growing in Christ. Sometimes, we want the reward without deepening our love for God, and this will always show up as a fracture in the way we relate to others. The love of God will restore this if we let it. His Will is that His love will be the building block of all relationships. It is the treasure that begins them, and it is the fundamental element that holds them together. 1John 4:16(NLT) says, “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”
The quality, devotion, and longevity of any good relationship is dependent on our trust in our Heavenly Father’s love. Our honor and reverence for Him makes us pliable to His Will and Word, and this flexibility to God’s Will will always yields the very best outcome. This will always and forever be true. When our love for God is put in motion through our love for others, it makes us good soil on which to plant, and it anchors our relationships in faith and humility. We can’t allow the need to be right, cynicism, doubt, or arrogance to stand in the way of trusting and growing in God’s love. There’s no greater power than His love in operation, and when we renew our minds to this, His love will transform our relationships and us too. ■
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“God’s Love Restores Relationships”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.