God and Relationships are explained in the Bible. To improve relationships, consider the following. God created man for relationship and our first and most important relationship is with God Himself. The first relationship God created among humans was the family. The family is ordained and blessed by God. Marriage is honorable and children are a gift from God. The husband should love his wife and the wife should respect her husband.
- Review a previous action
- Bible Verses describe God and Relationships
- Video how to improve relationships
- Summary Statements
- Questions for Discussion
- Networking – Making Your List and Taking Action
Review What we learned from a previous action, “Who is God?”
God made us in His image. We can share in relationships as He does.
The most important relationship He created us for is with Him.
He also created us to have relationships with other people to be complete.
Sin causes a breakdown of our relationship with God and other people.
Complete honesty, always, is essential to maintaining relationships.
God takes the initiative in pursuing a love relationship.
Jesus died willingly so our relationship with God can be restored.
Love expressed by actions builds good relationships. Good relationships bring great joy and satisfaction.
Bible Verses describe God and Relationships
Genesis 1:26-27
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
The first relationship man had was between himself and _____________________.
(Genesis 1:26-27; see also question #2 from Class #4).
Genesis 2:20-25
20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam[a] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[b] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
The first human relationship God created was between the man and his ___________________
(So we see that the family was God’s idea, not man’s.)
Hebrews 13:4
4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
How does God feel about marriage? ________________________________________________
Compare this to how the world thinks about marriage today.
Psalm 127
1 Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to[a] those he loves.
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.
Psalm 128 – A song of ascents.
1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
4 Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6 May you live to see your children’s children— peace be on Israel
Who builds the family (“house”)? ____________________________________________________
Are children a reward (“gift”)?_____________________________________________________
Who blesses the family? ______________________________________________________
Ephesians 5:21
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 6:9
9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
(vs.21) We are to be willing to ___________ to one another out of ______________________ for ___________.
Is this something we are all supposed to be doing (wives, husbands, children, employees, and employers)? _________________________ Support your answer:
In the specific relationships mentioned:
(5:22-24) The wife is to _____________________________________________ her husband.
(5:25-33) The husband is to _________________________________________ his wife, just as
_____________________________________________________ loved the church (His people).
(6:1-3) The child is to _______________________ his or her parents in the _________ .
Why? For this is ______________________ (that is, do it out of love for God).
(6:4) The father (parent) is not to ________________________________________the children. They should bring them up in the ________________ and ___________________of the Lord.
(6:5) The employee (servant) is to __________those for whom he or she is working.
(6:9) The employer should not _________________ those who work for them.
(Note: In New Testament times slavery and slave owning were common. God still commands Christian workers to work for their employers with excellence. As International Justice Mission reports, slavery and trafficking still exist today. “There are more men, women and children trapped in slavery than ever before in human history.” Tragically, slavery exists in America because of sex trafficking.)
Colossians 3:22-25
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
Employees are to _______ ________ their employers _______ the time, not just when the employers are _________________ them. Who are you really working for? ________________
Matthew 5:13-16 – Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
What does salt do for food? _______________________________________________________
What does light do to darkness? ___________________________________________________
Who will see your good works? ____________________________________________________
Who will get the credit (honor) for your good behavior?
________________________________
Two videos on how to improve relationships
God and Relationships. God created man for relationship and our first and most important relationship is with God Himself. The first relationship God created among humans was the family. The family is ordained and blessed by God. Marriage is honorable and children are a gift from God. The husband should love his wife and the wife should respect her husband.
First video
Chaplain Ray Nix
Second video
Change Your Life ACTION, God and Relationships
Pastor Dennis Brennan, 20 minutes, 2020-09-29
Summary Statements
God created man for relationship, and man’s first and most important relationship was with God Himself.
¨ The first relationship among humans that God created was the family. The family is ordained and blessed by God.
¨ Marriage is honorable. Since it is God’s plan, He holds it in high regard (Hebrews 13:4).
¨ Children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3).
¨ The husband should love the wife, the wife should respect her husband, and the child(ren) should obey their parents. All should help and care for one another (Ephesians 5:21 – 6:9).
¨ God commands His people to keep a high standard in the workplace. Employees should work as unto the Lord, and employers (bosses) should treat their employees fairly and with respect. If Christians live in this way, God will be honored through their good deeds. ¨ It is through the Church that we maintain our relationships with God and with other people
Questions for Discussion
#1: If you are married, are you actively seeking to help and care for your spouse?
In what ways can you express this to your spouse in the upcoming week?
#2: Do you have a regularly planned time for personal communication with your mate? With your children? (Discuss the importance of this.)
#3: What do you believe it means to “honor your father and mother”?
How can you do this better? (The small group leader should explain that even if we had a terrible upbringing by our parents, God will help us to forgive and love them and still wants us to honor them.)
#4: Rating from 1 (poorest) to 10 (best), rate the stability of your home.
#5: What are some things you can do to help improve the stability of your family?
#6: Taking to heart what you learned from the Bible verses in the worksheet for this class, what would you do differently in raising your children?
#7: If you are now employed, rate yourself from 1 (poorest) to 10 (best) on this statement: “I work wholeheartedly at my job.”
What can you do to improve your work performance?
Career Skills
expand my Network – Make a List of people i know and reach out to them
After you have put together an initial draft of your resume and set up a LinkedIn profile, you should continue to refine both with the help of others which may include your mentor and coach. You can also begin to put together a list of people with whom you can network. Networking is a give and take process that involves making connections, sharing information, and asking questions. It’s about building relationships with people you already know and new people you’ve never met before. Your goal in networking is to re-energize existing relationships and develop new ones. It will also help you tap into the hidden job market and can be very effective if done right.
Steps to take:
- Make a list of people you know from previous jobs, school, church, the gym, social media, your neighborhood, as well as relatives and friends (Exercise 4.2 – see template on next page).
- Prepare before you reach out to them and practice what you will say; e.g., your goals, your summary as you have in your resume, and questions that you will ask them.
- Reach out to the people on your list, schedule quality time to speak with them, and let them know that you’re changing your career or looking for a job:
- Be specific about the career field and/or type of job you are seeking.
- Be authentic, considerate, and ask for advice, not a job.
- Ask them if they have any information or know anyone in the career field that you are pursuing. Take notes on what you learn. Write down names and organizations that have the work you want to do.
- Follow-up on information and additional contacts you receive from the people on your list (this helps you grow your list of contacts).
- Maintain your network by nurturing the relationships. Find ways to reciprocate. Keep them informed about your progress.
- Research companies and organizations on LinkedIn to identify people in your career field thatyou might want to contact (refer to Linked In Help for guidance on how to do this).
Apply what you’ve learned in the Biblical Values – God and Relationships in the networking process.
Nice going!!! The next topic is God and Work and Using Learnings and Feedback to Make Adjustments.
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