BUILD GOOD RELATIONSHIPS

NKJV, Matthew 22: 36-39 – Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 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. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

NKJV, Psalm 133:1-3 – “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments: As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.”

CEV, Psalm 133:1-3 – “It is truly wonderful when the people of God live together in peace. It is as beautiful as olive oil poured on Aaron’s head and running down his beard and the collar of his robe. It is like the dew from Mount Hermon, falling on Zion’s mountains, where the Lord has promised to bless his people with life forevermore.”

Have a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with God (Vertical Relationship), and then with human beings (Horizontal Relationship). When we become too busy, (we don’t have time to spend with the Lord) & exceedingly occupied, we open the door to the  devil to come into our life and cause distraction. God Honours us when we honour Him or have a relationship with Him. Being a Christian involves you  having a deep, intimate and personal relationship with God through Christ. Don’t give up on having an intimate relationship with Jesus, be determined like Bartimaeus, Zacchaeus, etc.

God Wants us to have a Deep, intimate, and a personal relationship with Him, through Jesus Christ.  – for you to do that you need to put time into it. If God does not have first place in your life, then you will never be fulfilled. There is a lifestyle that goes with the new birth: you talk/think different, we forgive people, we have a Deep, intimate, and a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Learn to have a serious relationship with God – spend regular quality time with God – there is nothing like a personal study of the Word.

You can’t say you love God when don’t hear/obey Him. Love is a fulfilment of all the Commandments. If  you have bitterness, etc in the horizontal relationship, it  will  also affect your vertical relationship. When you view yourself negatively it affects your relationship with others & also with God. We should deal with jealousy otherwise it will destroy our relationships. You can’t keep going vertical  when  there are horizontal issues to be resolved  It’s our vertical relationship with God that affects our horizontal love  for Others.

Our vision in life is linked to the kinds of relationships we have and build. We cannot achieve everything by ourselves. We need the right kind of relationships. Constant problems are the result of spiritual immaturity. Spiritual immaturity can cause a lot of relationship problems. God is not a ‘fire service truck’ whom we call upon when we are in trouble. NO! He wants us to have an ongoing relationship with Him.

We are linked to others in this life by horizontal relationships. We give and receive from the people we relate to. Positive horizontal relationships energize us whilst negative horizontal relationships drain us of strength. The quality of our horizontal relationships is crucial to the quality of the lives we live.

There are permanent horizontal relationships in our lives and others which are transitional. The permanent ones include your parents, siblings, spouse and children. The transitional ones include school mates, work colleagues and neighbours. Don’t accord transitional horizontal relationships prime importance unless you have spent time evaluating them and find them deserving of that status.

To make the most of your horizontal relationships, it is important to evaluate each one rightly and invest quality in them. Some people in your life must move from the place of importance you have given them, in order for the right horizontal relationships to flourish. There are people you give priority to who do not deserve the place of preference you give to them.

We must put the right value on the right relationships: God first, and people second. People who matter to us must be treated as such. The Bible says we ‘…shouldn’t forget your…First love…’ ie; don’t forget about your  relationships – don’t replace vertical relationship with religion, because Religion without relationship leaves you  void spiritually. It’s not good to have religion but don’t enjoy fundamental relationship because relationship gives power/freedom. We should not have a religious attitude but rather we should have an intimate relationship with  God.

Here are some ways to make the most of your vital relationships:

▪ Spend quality time with your spouse and children

▪ Honour your father and mother in practical ways

▪ Express your gratitude to two people who helped you along in life

▪ Cultivate a relationship with a mentor

▪ Make time for someone who needs your help

Remember that you get out of relationships, what you invest in them.

In horizontal relationships, minimize  criticisms but EXALT the good attributes of them. Everybody doesn’t have to do things like you do to be okay. You may think that you are always right but there are times that you may be wrong, so a little humility will improve your relationship with others. Go an extra mile to give more compliments & less criticisms. There is no perfect anything so if you want your religion relationship to be good, then you have to learn to do good, to forgive very fast.

Avoid one-sided relationships (where you do all the ‘giving’ & they do all the ‘taking’). Only let ‘saved’ people into your life. Don’t let people abuse & take advantage of you. They will if you don’t have boundaries Amen.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, surround me with right relationships. Help me to put the right value on the right relationships. In Jesus’ name, Amen.