LIFE IS ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

Of all God's creatures, human beings have the unique and awesome privilege of being created in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). The greatest benefit of this is being able to have a personal relationship with God. Throughout His Word, God repeatedly stresses the importance of right relationships. In fact, Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love your fellow man (Matthew 22:35-40). Beginning with our creation, God has done many things to initiate a relationship with us. It is up to us to respond to Him and show initiative in nurturing that relationship with good communication. "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you," James 4:8 tells us. Our prayers keep us connected to God. Jesus said to His disciples. ''No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15). Here Jesus explained a crucial factor in true friendship - ongoing, open, and sincere communication. A true friend is someone you talk with openly and regularly. God is the Great Communicator. He records in the Bible His revelation of everything we need to know about His plan for our lives. His Word gives us His worldview, the framework for a true perspective on life - past, present and future. Plus He communicates with us and guides us in other ways - by His Holy Spirit, through His Church, through other individuals, through circumstances, and through experiences that He sets up. But a good relationship depends on two-way communicational dialogue. Prayer and Bible Study go hand in hand, along with serious thought and introspection about how to apply God's teachings in our own lives. Each of us must ask: How good a friend am I to God? How good a son or daughter am I to my Father? Call home daily! From: The Privilege and Power of prayer, www.ucg.com