Intentional, Loving Relationships

Intentional, Loving Relationships

By Dann Spader

 

Years ago, a friend of mine always used to say, “All change comes through relationships.”

When I first heard this statement, I disagreed. But as I studied the life of Christ, I soon saw the reality of this principle in every aspect of Christ’s life. Jesus’ whole strategy of changing the world was rooted in building relationships with a few. As a matter of fact, the whole theology of the incarnation is that God became flesh and dwelt among us; Jesus adding humanity to His deity, become one of us, to impart His life to us. Christ knew that life change happens through relationships!

The more I study the life of Jesus and the more I watch people’s lives change, the more convinced I am that my friend was right. All life change does come through relationships—whether it a relationship between friends, between a parent and child, or a relationship with God through His Word. In fact, true Christianity is all about relationships, because full humanity means participating in and fostering loving relationships. Jesus was that true friend . . . both to sinners and His committed followers.

God’s deep concern for genuine loving relationships is one of the reasons the Creator of the universe decided to become flesh and dwell among us. He wanted us to be sure we understood this truth. God did not just tell us that He loves us; He chose to show us His great love by walking with us in relationship. First John 4: 9–10 tells us that, “This is how God showed His love among us; He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

What amazes me about Jesus is that when He took on flesh to dwell among us, He did not come as a conquering king or even as a wealthy aristocrat. He came as a baby, born in a manger and raised in an obscure village called Nazareth for thirty years. He then spent the rest of his years investing in people.

Robert Coleman speaks powerfully about Jesus’ relational focus on a few when he wrote:

The multitudes of discordant and bewildered souls were potentially ready to follow Him, but Jesus individually could not possibly give them the personal care they needed. His only hope was to get men imbued with His life who would do it for Him. Hence, He concentrated Himself upon those who were to be the beginning of this leadership. Though He did what He could to help the multitudes, He had do devote Himself primarily to a few men, rather than the masses, in order that the masses could at last be saved. This was the genius of His strategy.

It can often be said that people who are concentrating on a focused strategy often pursue their goals to the detriment of their relationships. The remarkable thing about Jesus was that relationships were His strategy.