The Most Challenging Words Ever Spoken

How to Build Right Relationships with God and Others

In a world filled with broken relationships and damaged lives, many people struggle to find genuine connection and purpose. The story of Lee Harvey Oswald serves as a stark reminder of how rejection, abandonment, and broken relationships can shape a person's destiny. But there's hope - God's plan for relationships offers healing and transformation that can overcome even the deepest wounds.

Why God's Plan for Relationships Is the Best Plan

Despite living in a fallen world, God's design for how we relate to Him and others remains the best path forward. While we all experience brokenness - whether through our own choices or others' actions - the Holy Spirit can help us overcome these wounds and turn toward God's way of living.

This isn't about condemnation for past failures, but about recognizing that with God's help, we can heal from our brokenness and even bring healing to others. When we choose to follow God's plan for relationships, we're not just improving our own lives - we're contributing to the healing of our communities and culture.

How Do We Get Our Relationship with God Right?

Keep Asking, Seeking, and Knocking

"'Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be open to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.'" - Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT)

Building a relationship with God requires persistence. This isn't a one-time prayer or decision, but an ongoing pursuit. We're called to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking - not giving up when we don't immediately get the answers we want.

Understanding God as Our Heavenly Father

Many people struggle with the concept of God as Father due to negative experiences with earthly fathers. But God is our "Abba" - an intimate term meaning "Daddy" that Jesus used to address the Heavenly Father. This was revolutionary in Jesus' time, as no Jewish person would have dared address God so intimately.

"'You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him?'" - Matthew 7:9-11 (NLT)

Trusting God's Good Gifts

God only gives good gifts, even when they don't match our immediate desires. Sometimes He doesn't give us what we want because what we want isn't good for us. As we grow closer to God, our desires begin to align with His will, and we start wanting what He wants for us.

The key is understanding that God has everything we need for living a godly life: "'By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.'" - 2 Peter 1:3 (NLT)

How Do We Get Our Relationships with Others Right?

The Golden Rule in Action

"'Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.'" - Matthew 7:12 (NLT)

This isn't just about avoiding harm to others - it's about actively doing good. Jesus stated this principle positively, requiring us to take action rather than simply avoiding negative behavior. We should go out of our way to do good for others, treating them as we would want to be treated.

The Greatest Commandments

When asked about the most important commandment, Jesus replied: "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.'" - Matthew 22:37-40 (NLT)

Everything in Scripture boils down to these two principles: love God completely and love others as yourself.

What If Everyone Lived This Way?

Imagine a world where everyone treated others as they would want to be treated. This principle applies to every relationship - marriage, parenting, work, neighborhood interactions. It has the power to bring healing to broken relationships and transform communities.

However, we must be wise in our application. This doesn't mean becoming a doormat or enabling unhealthy behavior. Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is set boundaries or give someone space while continuing to pray for them.

The Power of Love Through Jesus

We cannot live out these relationship principles in our own strength. True love comes from God, and it's only through our relationship with Jesus that we can love others as we should.

"'Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.'" - 1 John 4:7-8 (NLT)

When we understand how much Jesus loved us through His sacrifice on the cross, we're empowered to love others. As we continue asking, seeking, and knocking in our relationship with God, our love grows more perfect and we become more like Jesus.

Life Application

This week, choose one relationship in your life that needs healing or improvement. Instead of waiting for the other person to change, take the initiative to treat them as you would want to be treated. This might mean offering forgiveness, showing kindness, or simply giving them space while praying for them.

Ask yourself these questions:

Remember, building right relationships starts with getting right with God. As you deepen your relationship with your Heavenly Father through persistent prayer and seeking His will, you'll find the strength and wisdom to love others well, even in difficult circumstances.