It seems it should be a no brainer that God's all about relationship. But we're hit with an anti relationship society in our western culture . We live in a culture that devalues marriage, family, and even just pure covenant relationships with people. It mocks and discourages having a pure brotherly and sisterly relationship with the opposite sex. And has no understanding of an intimate relationship like David and Jonathan. Our culture also has rampant fatherlessness. So with all that in mind we tend to carry that carnal mindedness into the way we function in the body of Christ. Unintended.
A very true statement my Dad said is that we can look at the way people relate with others, or look at the depth of their relationships, to determine how they relate to God and how deep their relationship is with Him. If people say they're in deep relationship with God, or have intimacy with him, yet have very shallow relationships with people, then it's safe to say they probably aren't as close to the Papa as they say. If you're shallow and casual with God, you'll be shallow and casual with His kids. Even when there are deep one's in relationship with the father and others, they may commonly be persecuted because they don't line up with the rest of the peoples value system. While God values relationship and love, with Him and others, the world and many in the body of Christ value positions, talents (or gifts) and externals. God looks at the heart.
God's all about relationship, His government doesn't function like the earthly system's government. It functions as a family, all the way through.
Family means "a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household.• a group of people related (or relating) to one another by blood or marriage." That's interesting. We have His blood, so we're all His kids and we are all His bride cuz we're married to Him.
We should really look at how we are relating to one another and how we value one another. Do we value people for what they do and what they have or do we value them for who they are. . . Sons of God.
I'd love to have some things added to the conversation.
I'll end this post with a couple Bill Johnson quotes to chew on . . .
"In the world you perform for identity so that you can be accepted. But in the kingdom, you are just accepted and that is your identity and out of that comes your performance."
"Insecure people fill their lives with business to drown out the cry of the orphan spirit."
Your brother Micah
