Building a Relationship
Elizabeth was righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. We should practice being righteous and walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. The only way Elizabeth could accomplish this was by building a lasting, trusting and faithful relationship with the LORD God.
Learning to build a good relationship with the LORD God is no different than building any other kind of a relationship. The beginning Stages of any relationship must begin with a good foundation. There must be an appreciation for the person and respect for them. When you meet a stranger who you are attractive to you cannot help but take every opportunity to thank them for everything they do.
With our beginning relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ there also must be a good foundation. A foundation is a natural or prepared ground or base on which some structure rests. It is the beginnings or first principals of a system of truth. A person who comes to the Lord Jesus Christ, and hears and does what he says, builds a foundation on a rock. When trouble comes, that person’s life cannot be shaken. The person, who lays his foundation on the rock, must first dig deeply into the things of God which are normally hidden and above man’s scrutiny. If a person looks for the deep things of God, and maintains a spiritual life in Christ, then his life will not be disturbed when trouble comes. If a person maintains a life concerned with the affairs, interests and pursuits of natural life, then that person’s life will be ruined when trouble comes. (Hebrews 6:1-3).
When you build a relationship with another person you look at that person and then decide if you have enough in common to build on. Next decide if you want to go forward in building that relationship. If there isn’t enough things you hold in common then you usually just move on to someone else.
Building a lasting relationship with the LORD God is no different. What do you have in common? That answer should be the Lord Jesus Christ. You have to know Jesus before you can know the Father. Jesus said no man knows the Son, but the Father, neither does any man know the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. Matthew 11:27.
Psalm 119: 1-8 has many different patterns for building a relationship. You have to seek Him with the whole heart, walk in His ways, Keep His commandments and do not forsake Him. This is not that much different than what you would do in building a relationship with another human person.
It is not always easy to establish a pattern of behavior when you are building a relationship. Trust is one of the hardest things to establish and to accept. People will always let you down. Relationships can always change. Partners will not always be able to meet all the needs of each other.
When establishing a relation with Jesus Christ and then the LORD God you have to ask yourself what you hope to gain from this relationship. The answer to this question is going to establish the type of relationship you are going to form. Is it just for show or is it for building a lasting, trusting and faithful relationship with the LORD God?
If the relationship is for building a lasting, trusting and faithful relationship then you can come boldly to the throne of grace and obtain mercy and find grace to help in times of need. (Hebrews: 4:16). The throne of grace is the divine power belonging to Christ. His grace of the merciful kindness by which the LORD God, exerting His Holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues. When it comes to trusting there is no one more trust worthy than that of Jesus Christ and the LORD God.
Communication is a must in all relationships. Being a good listener is high on the priority list and it requires the following: not interrupting when the other person is talking. Really focus on what the other person is saying and do not formulate on what you think. It never hurts to check to see if you are processing what has been said by simply saying ìI think you said”.. Or I understood you to say”. Always listen with your ears, heart and head.
Prayer is our form of communication with the LORD God. Luke 11:1-4 and Matthew 6:5-13 is where Jesus taught His disciple how to pray. He told them prayer wasn’t for show, and it wasn’t about saying the same thing over and over again. The frame work He gave us is:
* Praising and thanking God.
* Praying for God’s Kingdom to come, and for His will and work to be done today.
* Requesting that our needs and the needs of others be met, whether healing, food, wisdom or protection.
* Seeking forgiveness and the help to forgive others.
* Asking for protection from temptation and the evil tempter.
When considering choosing a relationship it really is important that you come from similar cultural, religious, and even economic backgrounds. This puts you on an even playing field and there is an immediate understanding between you. The person you are building a relationship with does not have to be exactly like you in all ways. Just make sure that where it matters most to you are covered. If you are a Christian and the ways of Christ is important to you, it should also be important to the person you are trying to build a relationship with. If it is not then you already have a chasm to try to fill.
Elizabeth, the Mother of John the Baptist is a strong illustration of a faithful, selfless, woman who put the LORD first before her desires. She built a strong relationship with the LORD God and with Zacharias her husband. We also need to build a strong relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and then with the LORD God. 1 John 5:20 gives us the reason for building a strong relationship “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Building a Relationship:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Oct 2014.< https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1466,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2014, October) “Building a Relationship:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1466,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2014) “Building a Relationship:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (October), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1466, (accessed).
