Strengthening Relationships

What's the most important commandment? We don't have to guess, because Jesus already answered that question when it was put to Him.

Jesus replied, "the most important commandment is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

- Mark 12:29-31

A lot could be said about these two commandments; indeed, a lot has been said about them! So much so that perhaps you didn't read the above text carefully. Maybe you just glanced over it or skipped it altogether because it is so familiar to you.

But despite our familiarity with this text, we still don't "get" it. Marriages are still in turmoil; teens are alienating their parents; siblings continue to quarrel; congregations are rife with contention. - And all this among professing Christians!

What's the problem? One well-known pastor put the answer in a nutshell when he was asked "What's the number one need of the evangelical church today?" His response: "Spiritual growth."

Sounds simple, but that really is the truth. Grow in your relationship with God, and you will most certainly improve your relationships with others.

One way that you can do this as a Christian is to be committed to corporate worship. In his helpful book, Basics for Believers, William Thrasher writes:

Each Sunday brings with it the wonderful opportunity for ever believer to celebrate and deepen his relationship with God and other believers through the act of worship in a corporate setting. It is in participating in this important act that we learn to fulfill the two greatest commandments as spoken by our Lord....

Proper worship should usher the believer into a special time in the presence of God and guide him in direction of thanksgiving, repentance, and holy living. It is a time to listen to God and what He has said to us through His Word. It is a time to look at ourselves in light of that Word and to confront and confess our sins. This is a time when we can sing praises to Him and thank Him for what He has done for us. And it is this vital time that marks just how we will live and conduct ourselves in the coming week.

Another blessing of strengthening our intimacy with God is the effect it has on the entire family. As husband and wife become closer to the Lord, they become closer to each other. as families worship together, they are nourished by the experience and their foundation as a unit is made firm. Their relationship to each other is fortified and they learn how to live godly lives together in acceptance and love. They hear God's commandments and seek to apply these truths with one another.

As we grow in the Lord and mature in our understanding of his Word, we become better neighbors to those around us. And as we become better neighbors, people God has placed in our lives are drawn to Christ. This is one of the main channels God has been pleased to use to expand His kingdom.

... It's one's proper relationship with God that has the greatest impact on all other relationships in life. Failure at this juncture is where many believers begin the gradual decline that affects every other area of their lives. This is why many Christian marriages end in divorce and why their families sometimes mirror the troubled and unsaved families around them. The Bible makes it clear: Apart from Christ, we can do nothing positive for the kingdom. But through Christ, we can have relationships with our mates that glorify and bring pleasure to God. We can have solid relationships with our children, and we can effectively reach out to our neighbors and serve those around us.

Don't underestimate the importance of corporate worship and your involvement in the life of the local church. It is a lifeline to your relationship with God and others.