{"id":3597,"date":"2015-09-26T00:02:54","date_gmt":"2015-09-26T07:02:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/?p=3597"},"modified":"2015-09-25T20:30:49","modified_gmt":"2015-09-26T03:30:49","slug":"926-six-keys-to-good-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/2015\/09\/26\/926-six-keys-to-good-relationships\/","title":{"rendered":"9\/26: Six Keys to Good Relationships (\u8bd7112:1-10 \u5f174:17-5:7 \u8d5b63:1-65:16)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>\u8bfb\u7ecf\uff1a\u8bd7112:1-10 \u5f174:17-5:7 \u8d5b63:1-65:16<\/h2>\n<h2>Six Keys to Good Relationships<\/h2>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<p>When she was nineteen years of age, Chiara Lubich gathered with a few friends in northern Italy. It was 1939 and, as bombs fell, they asked this question: \u2018Was there an ideal that bombs could not destroy?\u2019 Their answer was, \u2018Yes, the<em> love of God<\/em>\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>They had experienced God\u2019s overwhelming love and they wanted to share it with others. <em>They imitated God by living a life of love<\/em> (Ephesians 5:1\u20132). They helped those in need. They shared what little food they had. They found clothing for those who had none. They comforted the bereaved.<\/p>\n<p>Such a warmth emanated from Chiara and her friends that people gave them the name \u2018Focolare\u2019, which means \u2018hearth\u2019 or \u2018fireplace\u2019. Focolare now has 2 million members in 182 countries. Members of the Focolare community make it their rule of life, 24 hours a day, to live by the golden rule of Jesus: \u2018Do to others what you would have them do to you\u2019 (Matthew 7:12).<\/p>\n<p>Love is practical. Chiara said, \u2018Love the other person as yourself. Not with words, but with deeds. Imagine how the world would be if the golden rule were put into practice not only between individuals, but also between ethnic groups, peoples and nations, if everyone <em>loved <\/em>the other country as their own.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>How can we imitate God and live a life of love?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<h2>1. Be filled with the Holy Spirit<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"inline-reading\" href=\"http:\/\/classic.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Psalm%20112:1-10&amp;version=NIV&amp;interface=print\" target=\"_blank\">Psalm 112:1-10<\/a>It is the Holy Spirit in us who produces a life that imitates God. In this psalm, we see the kind of life God wants us to lead, and it includes all the fruit of the Spirit described by Paul in Galatians 5:22\u201323. It is a life of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>love (\u2018compassionate\u2019, Psalm 112:4)<\/li>\n<li>joy (\u2018delight\u2019, v.1)<\/li>\n<li>peace (\u2018they will have no fear\u2019, v.8)<\/li>\n<li>patience (\u2018their hearts are steadfast\u2019, v.7)<\/li>\n<li>kindness (\u2018generous and lend freely\u2019, v.5b; \u2018they have scattered abroad their gifts to the poor\u2019, v.9)<\/li>\n<li>goodness (\u2018the righteous will be remembered for ever\u2019, v.6b)<\/li>\n<li>faithfulness (\u2018their hearts are secure\u2019, v.8a)<\/li>\n<li>gentleness (\u2018gracious\u2019, v.4b)<\/li>\n<li>self-control (\u2018surely they will never be shaken\u2019, v.6a).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All this stems from knowing God \u2013 spending time reading and meditating on his word: \u2018Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands\u2019 (v.1).<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Lord, help me today to live a life of love and compassion, joy and delight, peace and no fear, patience and steadfastness, kindness and generosity, goodness and righteousness, faithfulness and security, gentleness and self control.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<h2>2. Be transformed into the likeness of Jesus<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"inline-reading\" href=\"http:\/\/classic.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Ephesians%204:17-5:7&amp;version=NIV&amp;interface=print\" target=\"_blank\">Ephesians 4:17-5:7<\/a>Jesus Christ set the supreme example of love by giving up his life for us. St Paul writes, \u2018<em>Be imitators of God<\/em>, therefore, as dearly loved children and <em>live a life of love<\/em>, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God\u2019 (5:1\u20132). As St Athanasius wrote, \u2018God became like us in order that we might become like God.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>What does this \u2018life of love\u2019 look like?<\/p>\n<p>Paul writes about how the Ephesians came \u2018to <em>know <\/em>Christ\u2019 (4:20), and how knowing him they were taught to \u2018be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self, created to be <em>like God <\/em>in true <em>righteousness <\/em>and <em>holiness<\/em>\u2019 (vv.23\u201324).<\/p>\n<p>What is \u2018holiness\u2019?<\/p>\n<p>Paul gives six practical examples of holiness \u2013 six keys to good relationships in a holy church (4:25\u20135:7):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Authenticity<br \/>\n\u2018What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretence. Tell your neighbour the truth. In Christ\u2019s body we\u2019re all connected to each other, after all\u2019 (v.25, MSG).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">This is a life of honesty and integrity. The danger of talking about \u2018holiness\u2019 is that it leads to intensity. But there is a fine line between holiness and being \u2018holier than thou\u2019, between being pious and poisonous! Putting off falsehood is a kind of holiness that frees us to admit we\u2019re far from perfect. We can be vulnerable with one another. This leads away from hypocrisy.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Passion<br \/>\n\u2018Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry \u2013 but don\u2019t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don\u2019t stay angry. Don\u2019t go to bed angry. Don\u2019t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life\u2019 (vv.26\u201327, MSG).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Although anger is not intrinsically sinful, it often leads to sin. In anger, the devil sometimes finds a foothold in our lives that easily becomes an addiction. Anger is an emotion that we need to handle with care.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">On the other hand there is a positive side to anger. It can be a God-given emotion. God expresses anger (5:6), but of course he does so under control. Jesus\u2019 anger was a righteous anger towards sin. It was Wilberforce\u2019s passionate hatred of slavery that eventually led to the abolition of the slave trade.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Work and generosity<br \/>\n\u2018Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can\u2019t work\u2019 (v.28, MSG).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Holiness is often mistakenly understood as the need to separate ourselves from those we consider unholy. Some people think this way about their work colleagues, for example. Paul\u2019s point is very different. He sees work as part of a holy life. Work in itself is good for the satisfaction that it brings but there is also toil, struggle and effort. So why do people go to work in the morning? One answer is: in order to be holy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Paul finds it necessary to say do not steal<em> any longer<\/em>, which hints that some members of the early church were ex-offenders. The church clearly welcomed and cared for ex-offenders. Rather than taking from others, they should now contribute to those around them. The best way to do that is by working. Work in itself is \u2018doing something useful\u2019, as well as enabling them to \u2018share with those in need\u2019 (v.28). Whether or not they were ex-offenders, work is \u2013 for everyone \u2013 a part of being holy.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Encouragement<br \/>\n\u2018Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift\u2019 (v.29, MSG).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Words matter. What you say is of vital importance. It can either build people up or drag them down. Use your mouth for good \u2013 for encouragement and for building others up.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Grace<br \/>\n\u2018Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you\u2019 (vv.31\u201332, MSG).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Sometimes we have a picture of a holy community being a place where all the people are walking around looking holy and not really wanting anyone who is not holy among them. But Paul\u2019s picture is far from that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Paul\u2019s vision of a holy church is a community that rids itself of all bitterness, anger and slander, and that welcomes those who are ex-offenders, those struggling with lifestyle issues, those who are divorced, those who have messed up. It is a community of people in need of forgiveness and a place where forgiveness flows freely because forgiven people forgive.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Purity<br \/>\nThe church welcomes everyone, because it is kind, compassionate and gracious. At the same time, you are called to a life of purity without \u2018even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God\u2019s holy people\u2019 (5:3).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Rather than self-centred sins (vv.3\u20134a), you are called to God-centred thanksgiving (v.4b). There is also a strong warning here from Paul. There is forgiveness for sins, but those who end up setting their course against God\u2019s ways will not inherit his kingdom (v.5).<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Lord, I need the help of your Spirit to live a life of love. Thank you for the example of Jesus. Thank you that I can be forgiven because he gave himself for me. Help me today to live a life of love and to become more like Jesus.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<h2>3. Become like the compassionate father<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"inline-reading\" href=\"http:\/\/classic.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Isaiah%2063:1-65:16&amp;version=NIV&amp;interface=print\" target=\"_blank\">Isaiah 63:1-65:16<\/a>God\u2019s love for Israel was like that of a father: \u2018You are our Father\u2019 (63:16; 64:8, MSG). \u2018You\u2019re our <em>living <\/em>Father, our Redeemer, famous from eternity!\u2019 (63:17, MSG).<\/p>\n<p>Just as God loved the people of Israel in the Old Testament, so God loves you as a father loves his children. Isaiah speaks of the kindnesses of the Lord: \u2018All the Lord has done for us \u2013 yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. He said, \u201cSurely they are my people, children who will not be false to me\u201d\u2019 (vv.7\u20138).<\/p>\n<p>God loves us in spite of the fact that \u2018we\u2019re all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts are grease-stained rags\u2019 (64:6, MSG).<\/p>\n<p>God, like any human father, suffers when we suffer or go astray: \u2018In all their troubles, he was troubled, too\u2019 (63:9a, MSG). \u2018In his love and mercy he <em>redeemed <\/em>them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old\u2019 (v.9b).<\/p>\n<p>God has plans for you that no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has conceived (Isaiah 64:4; 1 Corinthians 2:9).<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Lord, thank you that you love me more than any human father. Thank you that because of your love for me, I am able to love those around me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"bioy-body\">Pippa Adds<\/h2>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<p><strong>Ephesians 4:26<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t go to bed grumpy!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>\u8bfb\u7ecf\uff1a\u8bd7112:1-10 \u5f174:17-5:7 \u8d5b63:1-65:16  <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/2015\/09\/26\/926-six-keys-to-good-relationships\/\" title=\"9\/26: Six Keys to Good Relationships (\u8bd7112:1-10 \u5f174:17-5:7 \u8d5b63:1-65:16)\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bibleinoneyear"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3597"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3598,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3597\/revisions\/3598"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}