The Most Important Relationship

Apr 14, 2014 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

 

Easter, what a wonderful time of the year as we think of Spring and new life. We get together with family, maybe even dress up a bit (many still go buy a new outfit for ourselves and other family), have fun with hiding eggs, candy, etc. We love getting together with family and sharing a wonderful meal. But we want to talk more about Easter, and its meaning as it relates to relationships.

We say it all the time, and it is so true…It’s All About Relationships! And nowhere is that more true than at Easter.

We would like to take this blog opportunity to celebrate the incredible sacrifice for us simply to re-engage in a relationship with God through Christ. Easter is all about our relationship with God — reconnecting with Him through Christ. Jesus understood it; he got it and was willing to sacrifice his life for us so we would be redeemed and have the opportunity to re-connect in relational community with our Father.

Now, understand, this relationship is priority. It is first and helps us with all other relationships. Easter is God saying it is about you and my desire to offer once and for all forgiveness, grace, and mercy, so that even though we have chosen to separate from God, we can come back to Him and enter into that loving relationship. He was willing to offer to us this gift. We are not doing God a favor. He is the One who sacrificially chose to offer us this greatest gift —  a personal, intimate relationship with the One who created us, loves us, and continues to wait on us to accept His gift of forgiveness, relationship with Him, and community.

What a picture and price! God willingly offering us a relationship even though we were the ones who turned away from Him. He loves us so much that He desires to live in relationship with us as His kids, and He as our Heavenly Father. For God so loved the world… (that’s you and me).

What love; what grace.

Jesus, God Himself, was willing to pay this price for us. God gave us His one and only Son for us. The Bible makes it very clear of His love for us, and willingness to be our ultimate sacrifice, to re-claim, redeem us. What a celebration!

If it really is all about relationships, then this is the ultimate relationship. It really does begin and end with this relationship. This relationship affects all others. In the Bible it says to love God with everything you have, every fiber of your being. And then love God’s kids the way God loves His kids (our paraphrase). You see we are to first love God and be in right relationship with Him. We then show God how much we love Him by loving His kids. But we can only love God’s kids like God loves them by first loving Him. You see all these relationships go hand in hand. In another book of the Bible, Hebrews, it says that Jesus sacrificed all for us. He paid the price, once and for all, so we can receive this free gift.

So, let’s celebrate the incredible story of Easter by remembering how much God loves us and was willing to do whatever for us so we can live in true community and right relationships — with Him and with others.

~ Jim and Jerolyn