The difference between healthy and handicapped is found in the home! We can’t live without a grapevine of interconnected relationships, and the most vital network of relationships is found in the home. So right now, I want to talk to you about family relationships. Generally speaking, strong, healthy relationships in the home is what equips children for lasting success in life. And generally speaking, toxic, stormy relationships in the home can shatter people (and especially children) for an entire lifetime and leave them damaged in ways they cannot even articulate. There is no doubt that there is a great attack on the family unit today. Satan has a one-two punch methodology: dismantle and divide vital family relationships; then, send distracting influences from the outside to keep the members of the household separated, relationships out of order, and the people bound up.

Since we see that family relationships are so vital to well-being, and we see Satan is furiously working to dismantle these relationships, we have two huge indicators that family relationships are powerful. We better get an understanding of how to handle home and family relationships!

Are You Giving Your Best to those Closest to you?

Isn’t it strange how in life, people can tend to treat the outermost circle of our acquaintances with more care and courtesy than the intimate relationships we have at home? Some studies say that over time, we treat spouses with the same courtesy as strangers we pass on the street. This should sound wrong to you, because it is. This is the worldly system of relating to people, and we HAVE to step out of that dynamic.

How did Jesus handle his relationships? You can probably guess that the people closest to Him got the most of what He had to offer. This is how we should be! Those closest to us should always get the most and best of what we have to offer. Here is what I mean:
Jesus’ outermost circle was the multitudes (thousands), then the 70 followers, then the 12 disciples, then the 3 disciples He was with the most, and then John (the disciple He loved the most). The Bible says that Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables only, but to the disciples, He gave more information to.

The multitudes were people who were “just passing through.” Jesus knew that they followed Him only because He fed them or did some miracle for them; these were “seasonal relationships.” We all have these. Since these relationships were intended to be temporary, Jesus did what he was called to do and then left (or allowed them to leave). He performed life-changing miracles for these people, but it was a one-time event – He was just passing through. He did not build and nourish relationships with people meant to pass through His life. He did what He was called to do and moved on.

Moving inward, we know that there were about 70 people who followed Christ. We don’t really hear about them in the Bible and we don’t hear about Jesus spending time with them. This is because the relationships were there, but they were not really that close. These were acquaintances. Jesus knows them, and they know Him, but these relationships are shallower and at a distance. Not that He loved them any less! Maybe these people could only handle so much of Him. In any case, Jesus does not spend much time nourishing these relationships. Jesus spends the most time with the 12 disciples – his circle of friends who He assigned to pour out of Himself to and train in the kingdom of God. Primarily, Jesus spends time with the 3 disciples and John – His inner circle. Jesus gives more of Himself to these people – the ones closest to Him. This is what we should do, and the power of God would flood our homes! This month we are focusing on home improvement –complete restoration of the departments of our lives, bringing us into proper order and alignment with God’s will! I want to talk to you more about the network of interconnected relationships found in the home; how we can nourish them, cherish them, and keep them healthy and whole in Christ, but I wanted to leave you with this key principle – give your best to your inner circle. So often in life, we find ourselves giving our best to those whom we have formed only shallow relationships with, shortchanging the ones at home who have been faithful to us and who need us.

As we abandon the worldly system of giving our best to those who don’t appreciate it, we will see our relationships begin to flourish! Nourishing and cherishing family relationships takes strength from day to day, and those closest to us deserve the best of us! Let’s keep our lives in the order that Jesus did – and have a powerful family life!

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