Part One: The Critical Importance of Godly Relationships

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

I want to share a scripture with you that is powerful when fully grasped and understood. What is that Bible verse? It’s this. Genesis 2:18 (NIV) “The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

God created Adam first. He let Adam live alone for a time. He let him live alone while He created all the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. He let Adam live alone while He brought each beast and bird before him to name. And then after all that, God created a woman out of Adam’s rib. We can surmise that Adam wasn’t at his best when he was alone. Nor when he was surrounded by plenty of “pets.” I call them pets because the sin of man had not yet happened and the animals were still all docile and manageable. But they could not supply the companionship Adam needed and so God made Him his mate Eve. This was the beginning of relationships. Over time as they began to populate the earth, people began to experience the forming of many kinds of relationships. But, they would now be formed in a world growing in the defilement of sin. And so the good, the bad, and the ugly of relationships began to fill the earth.

Some people have grown up under horrendous family relationships, or brutal bullying relationships. Because they have, they’d rather be alone. And they probably feel justified. They have their own levels of PTSD. But, the truth is, it’s likely we all have a little PTSD from relationships somewhere along the line. Yet becoming a recluse because of it will only harm us. It’s not what God wants for us.

Ecclesiastes 4:10-11 (NLT2) tells us that two is better than one, saying “If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone?” (Don’t you dare use those words as a permission slip for premarital sex!)

And God teaches us that two friends united with Him as the center of their relationships, is and unmeasurable benefit! Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT2) “A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three (two friends and God) are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. “

God desires godly relationships for us because as we pursue our relationship with others, we strengthen each other in many aspects of our life and in our in our love for God! Proverbs 27:17 (NLT2) “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”

God has more to say about this subject than I can squeeze in today, but the question still hangs out there, If we live in such a broken world of broken people, how can we ever expect to have healthy godly relationships? (Thus the temptation to be a recluse!) I’ve always said to people, You may pick your friends, but God will pick your better friends! And the right godly friends make your world so much stronger, healthier, and richer. So how does that happen? I’ll share that in Part Two with you in my next post! But here is what you can take away from this today.

God wants you to have good godly friends and relationships.
God will help you pick those friends (better than you could.)
God knows that to live for Him, you need to come out from the world and have godly relationships that help one another live godly for Him.

And He gives you this promise to learn… and to pray! Luke 18:29-30 (NLT2) “I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.” What is this saying? Give up the carnal worldly relationships and connect with church and Christians. God promises He’ll repay you many times over with great relationships!

More next time…

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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