Part Three: Godly Relationships Need “The Manna Factor”

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

In Part One of “The Critical Importance of Godly Relationships,” I shared how it’s always been God’s plan for us to be intertwined in godly relationships—not isolation which will hurt us in many ways. In Part Two of “The Critical Importance of Godly Relationships,” I shared about the critical importance of understanding what types of relationships we are in, and setting our expectations for those relationships accordingly. Today I want to begin to talk to you about the amazing satisfaction, joy, and blessing that comes by bringing God into your relationships, and understanding how significantly The Manna Factor in relationships rewards your life with a richness that could not come any other way!

The majority of the world that doesn’t believe or think about God, isn’t going to think about bringing God into their relationships. But, if you’re a Christian, hopefully you’d think, Of course we should bring God into our relationships! Truth be told, most Christians don’t think all that much about bringing God into their close friendships. As much as Christians know they should live for God, they also love living in the “fun” of the world. And they want to be accepted by their peers who don’t believe in God. They want to fit in. But, it’s that very desire that most often compromises these relationships. They don’t want to be tagged as a zealot or Jesus freak so they ride the fence. They’ll seldom ever talk about the Lord with their unsaved friends. So… there’s little or no “godly” in the relationships.

Of course there are Christians who do want to live for the Lord. They do try to build friendships with other Christians. They might be a part of a church small group or Bible study growing together in God’s word. But they still struggle talking about God or praying with their close friends in their day-to-day experience. The majority of Christians seldom have good and meaningful God-discussions with their friends because it feels awkward. They don’t know how to engage in talking about God. No one’s taught them how! Think about your Christian friends. When you get together (outside of a small group,) do you ever talk about the Lord or pray together? Wouldn’t that seem like a natural thing to do with your closest Christian friends? So why doesn’t it happen?

Though I could write a book on this subject, I’m going to tell you how that can change. I am going to give you a tool for your belt—a simple, wonderful way to talk about God and His word without it being awkward. My son-in-law who is also a Pastor and I may even offer to set up a zoom meeting some time to take this further if any of you communicate back to me of your interest to learn how to do this. (On feedback below)

Today, let’s begin with understanding that God has two things He wants to happen in our life personally with Him EACH DAY! First, He wants us to focus on something particular from His Word that speaks to our heart—not just general reading but a specific word for us! God knows what’s coming in your day. He knows how to prepare you and lead you IF… if you’ll give Him the time to speak to you. God’s Word speaks. The Bibles says it “Alive and powerful!” First, He wants to speak something specific to us. Daily! Why? Because He wants to speak something that is going to teach or instruct or correct, or direct and encourage us. He wants to do that daily.

Secondly, He wants to take what He has given us, and have us share it with someone else that day. You’ll see that in Isaiah 50:4 (NIV) which says, “The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.”

Did you catch that? Did you catch that He wants to instruct you daily—morning by morning! He wants to awaken your ear which means He wants to teach you how to hear from Him through His Word, each day! And it goes on to say that after He has spoken to you, He wants you to share it with someone He calls “the weary.” The “weary” is someone who is tired, confused, looking for answers, discouraged, and on and on. In case you don’t realize this, that’s the world around you each day! The word that God wants to share with YOU, is also going to be a word for someone else! That is The Manna Factor. Taking hold of this is going to change your life in God! Understanding this and knowing how to execute it in your life is life-changing! And it will enable you to bring God into your relationships in the simplest yet most powerful way! And it will deepen and mature your relationships in the most wonderful way. And so in my next post, I’ll help you learn how to walk that out! It’s powerful!

Today, know that The Manna Factor is letting God speak to your heart and then sharing what He said with someone else who needs to hear it. Reconcile the fact that God wants you to experience this daily and we’ll go from there! Next time…

Matthew 4:4 (NIV) “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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