DISCERNING THE RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS
Scripture Reading - Philippians 3:15-16 KJV
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
In life we will encounter many different people with various backgrounds. Every person will need to determine what type of relationship they will have with the individuals they meet along the way. This article is specifically targeting those people who will have a closer relationship that goes beyond just surface conversation. The other day while discussing “Right Relationships” with someone close to us the Lord gave us a tip which we (ihlcc) would like to share with you today. The thought is with so many different people in the world how would you know which person you can have better fellowship with as opposed to those you don’t communicate well with. The most obvious answer would be speaking with other Christians should bring harmony for a “right relationship” but that is not always the case. Although it is true that Believers should be easier to communicate with because we both call upon the Name of Jesus Christ for salvation but that alone does not guarantee that you both believe the same. Many Christians believe in salvation differently and other foundational Christian doctrines are interpreted differently by various bible teachers. Thus, we (ihlcc) believe it better to not only have fellowship with believers who believe in glorifying God in word and in deed but you should also look for those who speak the same words. The reason we state that is because there is only one Holy Spirit and He is the Spirit of Unity. We never have to wonder about God causing division because He is not the author of confusion but of peace. However, man due to his tradition, personal experience and doctrine believes many different things about the Holy Bible. Some honor the Holy Bible as God speaking personally (and literally) to them while others (yes, even Christians) believe the Holy Bible to be out of date with today’s society. This is the reason having a close relationship with someone who walks by a different rule will be very challenging at best. Holy Bible interpretation is one thing of vital importance but what about speaking forth a truth that God has shown you for personal growth and development. We are suppose to edify each other in words of comfort and truth but if the person you share your heart with disagrees with your revelations your fellowship will be greatly hindered. However, there are those who when you speak of God’s Word in the Holy Bible they agree with what you are speaking. There are those who you can share some truths God gave to you and they agree that it is the word of the Lord. The scriptures call these type of people “your own company” in Acts 4:23. These people could belong to the same church but they don’t have to because their view of God is very similar to your view of God. If you both walk by the same rules (principles found in the Holy Bible) and mind the same things (interpret the scriptures the same) you should have no problem with good fellowship. This is one way to “discern the right relationships” in your life because the Lord Jesus is the “ultimate relationship” we have in our life. The Lord will always add peace and comfort into your love walk, so should it be for people He places into your life as “right relationships”. Likewise, those of His Company that you plan to have in your company should have the basic fundamental truths of bible doctrine in their heart similar to your heart. Open and honest conversation about God is ideal to build everything else in your life around. It is not just casual relationships that grow and flourish but rather “right relationships” that prosper into unions that change lives for forever for the better. Amen.