How important are relationships in life? Recently, I’ve had to navigate some significant life events. Making a choice to step away from a good job and company after almost seven years to pursue a greater opportunity with another organization, while preparing to say good-bye to my grandmother, who was battling metastatic cancer and one of the biggest champions in my life.
{You are in for a treat with a little ‘Tea with E’. Where my hubby, Eric, stops into guest post and gives us a little peek into the male perspective.}
In the midst, life goes on and I am still a husband, father, son, brother, grandson, friend, and leader in my church. Is there a formula to manage all of that?
Developing a relationship with God and keeping Him first is where it all starts.
It’s my relationship with Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Father that propel me forward through such storms and blessings.
Yes, I said blessings. Handling God’s favor and blessings requires humility and wisdom as well. There is a statement often stated in the world, ‘more money, more problems’, that I understand. Whenever I hear this, I hear Jesus saying: To whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).
Hence, the importance of having a relationship with God so He can lead and guide us through life to fulfill the plans and purpose of our lives. We can be distracted by negative and positive events, which emphasizes the importance of having a relationship with God first. A favorite scripture of mine is Romans 12:2.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 (NLT)
So how can we have such a relationship with God?
First and foremost, we must pursue Him.
He can be found throughout the Bible for He is the Word (John 1:1).
We can also connect with God through prayer. In prayer, we can listen and speak to Him (Psalm 66:19). Praise is another opportunity to pursue, honor, and relate to God. Having a heart of thanksgiving and celebrating who He is drawing us closer too (Psalm 100:1-5). It’s not complex, we already do these things. We pursue things and relationships with others. We seek knowledge through education and reading. We also celebrate life accomplishments and people.
We are already designed to connect with God relationally because we were made in His image.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27 (ESV)
Getting to know more about God helps us to get to know more about the character we should be seeking to develop in ourselves. Like any other relationship that we have, it grows because we invest in it. Ultimately, we love because He first loved us.
We love because He first loved us.
1 John 4:19 (ESV)
Let’s make sure our love for Him is evident in how we invest and nourish our relationship with Him like we do all the others we have. Be encouraged!
Yes, amen! God must always come first in our relationships!
It’s so important to keep God first in your relationship. Allowing him to be your guide leads your relationship fruitfully.
I am so thankful that God wants to have a personal relationship with me. He wants to hear from me and grants me access! So blessed.
Love the wisdom of Romans 12! What a great post – relationships are so important, but we cannot fully appreciate or take advantage of them if we first don’t have a firm foundation with the Lord.
“It’s my relationship with Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Father that propel me forward through such storms and blessings.”
I don’t wanna be propelled past blessings! Lol! But I love that your relationship with God has gotten you through rough times (job loss etc can be so painful & stressful). Personally, I’m working on that, instead of hiding away when life challenges come my way.
Wow Eric, thank you for your powerful words. Prayers going up for you and your family in this season.
And don’t leave the house without talking to God everyday!
I live in the world not of the world, keeping Heavenly Father first always. Always remembering Jesus Christ and what he has done for all of us and following the Holy Ghost.
What an awesome post! Loved your perspective!
-Kiva Roussel
Great word, Eric, husband of amazing Ayanna. And Amen! We were created for relationship. With people, but with God first. The Creator wants to spend time with me. It’s amazing and unfathomable all at the same time.
This was great! I am recently married so I loved this!
This is such a great reminder! You included some awesome verses that we should all keep close.
I love this! Especially this part: “Like any other relationship that we have, it grows because we invest into it.” Absolutely. We have to put the work into our relationship with Him just like any other relationship – we have to go all in. Thanks for a great read!
Great post!! And so very true! We have to put him first in all we do!
Yes! A relationship with God is everything in every circumstance. Thanks for sharing
It was so refreshing to read a blog from a man. It was very inspiring to me and spoke to me, especially through what I am currently experiencing in my life and the journey I have been guided to take so I can make decisions for a rough and tough circumstance. God is so good to me and such a good Father, that no matter how bad it is He is always there – and thank you E, formyijr words. You have inspired me… God Bless you and your family.
This is great !
God commands us in His Word that we must be putting Him first!
Ayanna!!! I looooove this! I think many believe God is hard to reach. Or there are specific guidelines to communicate with Him. Cultivating a relationship is key! Thanks for sharing!
Lovely, thank you. It is true in the pursuit of Him, we do those things all the time, so if we can just be intentional about it, the relationship does flourish naturally. It’s not complex at all and I’m always happy to come across things that remind us of that.
Wow, I love what Eric said about God calling us to handle our “blessings” wisely, which all starts with a life of putting him first. Amen to all of this!