What is a right relationship?

"A right relationship with God produces right relationships with fellow human beings."-Dr. Martin Luther (Note-Large Catechism-Commandment One)

Luther comes right out and says the very direct truth as he does with everything.
In order to have a right relationship with anyone, you must have a right relationship with God.

What is having a right relationship with God?

Let's break this down:

Firstly,
within the Ten Commandments the very First commandment is:
"You shall have no other gods."

Meaning, "you shall have me alone as your God."

-"To have a God means that from which we are to take refuge in all distress. So, to have a God is nothing other than trusting and believing Him with the heart...."
"If your faith and trust is right, then your god is also true. On the other hand, if your trust is false and wrong, then you do not have the true God." (18, Luther's Large Catechism.)

To have God in your life is a vital need because we need a God to help us know how to live our lives according to His plan, rather than our own. Also, with God, He has given us a Savior; Jesus, to help us know that we are saved and redeemed.
He displayed such great love by making the ultimate sacrifice.

With that said, what do you think that is a god in your life?
Would you be willing to make a (or a few) sacrifices in your life that show how much you really want that relationship with God?

God wants you to have a relationship with Him before anything and anyone else.
In order to do so,
a believer must first make their relationship with God right and true before one can advance in knowing that their relationship with anyone else in their life is the type of relationship God would want for them.

That relationship with God is the best relationship any human being could ever have and want.
Therefore, if one can make that relationship with the -only- true and faithful God, couldn't they know that is the type of relationship you should have with another human being?

To have a relationship with God is also about sharing what is true, contrite, loving, honest, faithful, and so much more.
I could go on with a long list, but will save that for you to pray and learn about from God, alone.

What I am getting at really is,
to have a healthy relationship requires a healthy relationship with God first.
If you do not have a healthy relationship with God, how can you have a healthy relationship with anyone at all?
This isn't a romantic relationship that I speak of, it's any form of relationship that we can formulate.
Being with anyone in relation to you (family-parents, siblings, etc), friendships, significant others, relationships within the Church family, etc.

I cannot stress this enough as Luther did...
To have a right relationship we must first learn what it means to have a right relationship with God.
To know God.
To feel that relationship above all others.
To trust in Him before anyone and anything else.

What God also taught us was to Love.
God is the very example of love.
He made the ultimate sacrifice to display that love for us by sending His only Son, Jesus to die on the cross for the sin of the world.
What other Love is greater?
None.
Because, that Love was the only Love that is willing to lay down everything for us so that we may live a life according to His plan, rather than our own.
We were saved by the blood of the Lamb.

What do you know? Blood is red, which is a color that is often reacted in a psychological way of meaning one of the many meanings; Love.

The blood is a display of what Love meant is still means today throughout the generations.
That was God's way of showing how much He loves and cares about us...
So, obviously, God cares and loves us so much that He WANTS a connection to and with us.
God wants a relationship with the believer because He loves and cares that much.

We should know what it means to love so that we can share that love with others, but first we must learn to do it with God, faithfully.
Once we understand what love truly is and meant to be, especially with God, we can continue on with other relationships and
be confident in our faith with God by putting on the armor of God, displaying that love He wanted us to know and share confidentially with others so that others may know us by HIS love.

Let us rejoice in knowing that we are indeed, loved by the God who made the ultimate sacrifice for us
just so that we can know the true Love and what it means to have a relationship with Him and His people by displaying His love and ways...with confidence.

By His grace,
we can have the right relationship with Him and others.
By Love.
By Faith.
By Trust.
By Truth.
By Hope.
By Confidence.
By His Commands.


The hope that lies within me is that we as believers of Christ, will trust in God; alone, and endure life by dedicating ourselves to one triune God in the up most loving and earnest way possible.
With such hope and dedication, we can know what love means by the right relationship with God and what it means to share that within our other relationships.

I have hope and confidence that -you- can, too.

Faithfully praying and hoping in the God that loves,

-Mak

PS.

John 15:11-17
New International Version (NIV)
"11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other."

Exodus 15:13
"In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling."

Also: Deuteronomy 6 tells us to Love the Lord your God.
Love the Lord your God before anyone and above all us. He will teach you how to love because He's the only way and one who can.