As important as we might believe our professional achievements to be, in the light of eternity, they pale next to the importance of our relationships with God and with others.

The God of the Bible exists as a community of oneness. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one in divine essence, yet three distinct persons, live in perfect co-equality and relational harmony. There is no history of tension, distrust, argument or selfishness in their relationships. This relational God made us in His image: relational. We make His invisible nature visible by the nature of our relationships with each other. Jesus said that we demonstrate the reality of our relationship with Himself by our unity with the community of the redeemed and when we love one another (John 17:21; 13:35). The fruit of the Spirit can only be tasted in the context of relationships.

The Apostle John, who continually directs his readers to the ultimate realities of Christ, put it this way, "If we walk in the light, (and then to distinguish the true light from any Satanic counterfeit he adds) as He is in the light (making it clear that Jesus is the paradigm of truth, holiness, love etc.) we shall have fellowship one with another." (1John 1:7).

As society moves further away from Truth it moves deeper and deeper into personal isolation. As believers mature in Truth they recognize their call to community, their responsibilities for personal conflict resolution, redemptive relationships and commitment one to another.

The more we walk in the light, the more relationships become a priority. The best way to reflect the nature of God is in the way we relate to each other. A common response to the early church was: "Behold how they love one another."

Your covenant partner,