Developing a Healthy Relationship with Others
John 13:34-35
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
Jesus introduced a new command that we are to love others as He loved us. In fact this was so to define our lives that the watching world would know who His disciples were, based on how we love each other.
How did Jesus love us? He loved God and loved Himself well, and out of that flowed His love for us. As stated earlier, we cannot love each other well if we do not truly, deeply love God and love ourselves. His eyes were focused on the needs of others. He knew precisely why He was here and what God’s purpose was for Him. His eyes were fixed on accomplishing God’s agenda, not man’s ideas of what He should do.
One of the aims of this ministry is to help us all learn better how to love others. This love of others starts in our own families. For many of us, we often treat other people with more respect, kindness, patience and compassion than we do our own spouses. Only about 50% of marriages survive the long haul. We need to really work on learning to better love our spouses. We will encourage attendance at the Weekend to Remember conference each year. That will be a good opportunity to refresh our marriages. There are many excellent materials to use for small group discussions in order to strengthen and build our marriages.
We will make ourselves available to provide potential resources to the Children’s Ministry Team and the Youth Ministry Team in their endeavor to help parents better love their children.
We will make ourselves available to the Fellowship Ministry team to brainstorm ideas on how to continue to provide gatherings that encourage and stimulate friendships. We all need close friendships within our church body. We all should endeavor to have three levels of friendship. We need someone who mentors us and to whom we can look for guidance and support. We need a peer relationship where close sharing can take place. We need a relationship where we are the mentor to someone else who needs our guidance and direction down the path of growing into a healthy, thriving, mature, fully devoted follower of Christ.
Please refer to the suggested Bible readings below to help us know what it means to truly love others well.
Love Each Other
Romans 13:8
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
I Peter 1:22
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
I John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Accept one another
Romans 15:7
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Forgive Each Other
Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Speak the truth in love
Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Encourage one another
I Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Share each others joys and sorrows
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Build up others
Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Spur on one another
Hebrews 10:24
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Be kind and compassionate to each other
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Submit to each other
Ephesians 5:21
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Live in harmony with each other
I Peter 3:8
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.
Be humble toward one another
I Peter 5:5
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
There are many excellent books that can help us grow in this area as well. Please refer to suggested readings.