Relationships!

Looking over the loving crowd at the funeral for a cancer-stricken friend, I remembered the old Turkish proverb, “No road is too long with good company.” Friends and family made an unbearable journey bearable. Those friends who attended the celebration of a life well lived accomplished Galatians 6:2 NIV, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Having good relationships with others should be the goal of everyone. Proverbs 27:9 NLT, “The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.” When advice comes from someone you trust, the words become life to you.

One of my favorite Bible verses on friendship is Proverbs 18:24 NIV, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” These words could easily be applied to Jesus. He is our true and lasting friend. Jesus said in John 15:15, ESV, “No longer do I call you servants …..but I have called you friends.”

Did you know that God has always wanted to have a sweet relationship with you? It’s true! God chose to walk with Adam and Eve in the Garden (Genesis 3:8). Why? Because God was seeking relationship with His Creation. When people walk with you, it usually means that they seek closeness, intimacy, and fellowship. That’s what God did.

Friend, have you ever wondered why you were created (Revelation 4:11)? Is your purpose on earth clearly understood? In Genesis Chapter One, we see that we were created to have relationship with God. We are to love Him and glorify His Name (Isaiah 43:7), and to make His name known throughout the whole earth (Ephesians 39-10).

But sin breaks that relationship. Sin is defined as a transgression, or a failure to live according to God’s standards. The root word for sin means to step over the line, or to go out of bounds. As in sports, to go out of bounds is to be disqualified. When we sin against God, our relationship with Him is broken. Romans 6:23 NLT, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Only through Christ can we re-establish sweet relationship with God. As Jesus said in John 14:6 NLT, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” We must individually and personally confess our sin and repent of our rebellious actions. Then we must abandon those sins and walk the “narrow” road with Christ (1 John 1:9). That “walk” enables relationship with God.

The result is that you become a child of God (John 1:12). And it is a precious relationship that you can cherish for eternity.