Relationships with God, Family and Work

CHRISTIANS LIKE all humans are relational beings, who must pay serious attention to their relationships especially with God, family and work. The Akan religiously says that, “When man descends from heaven, he descends into human society.” This reminds us that man came from heaven to dwell on earth. In other words, the Akan believes that God is the creator of man.

Relationship with God

Thus, man must pay attention to keeping a closer relationship with God, who created and formed him. The Bible authoritatively states that God created and formed man (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7). No deity has ever boldly challenged God concerning this. Consequently, right from the beginning, man had a cordial, intimate relationship with his Maker until he sinned, leading to a separation between them. The only thing which breaks man’s relationship with God is sin which is disobedience, unrighteousness and faithlessness.

The separation of man’s relationship with God through sin is spiritual death. Blood is the currency that is used for transactions in the spiritual world. A shed blood atones for sins, cover sins to ensure reconciliation or restoration of broken relationship. However, in ensuring a permanent restoration of cordial, intimate relationship between God and man, only sinless, spotless and unblemished blood of Jesus Christ had to be shed (Hebrews 10:4-10).

So those who hear the message about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ called the Gospel and believe in Jesus are reconciled with God and declared righteous. Christians, therefore, have right standing and peaceful relationship with God the Father through Christ Jesus. Children of God must not only pay greater attention to their relationship with God, but also unite and live as a family, the elect of God, assembly or congregation of God called the “ecclesia” or “kyriakos” which is commonly referred to in English as the Church.

God is our Father through Jesus Christ by the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The Church of Jesus Christ, therefore, is not about a religion, but a relationship with God who is a King of the Kingdom of heaven with Christians as its citizens on earth. A Christian may be poor and still be a favourite of God. Yes, a Christian may be sick in body and yet have an intimate relationship with God. Let every Christian keep an eye on their relationship with God.

Relationship with family

The second important relationship Christians must focus on strengthening is the relationship with their family. Remember that “when man descends from heaven (God), he descends into human society (family). Adam and Eve established a family after they reproduced their kinds (Genesis 4:1-2a). Every human being belongs to a family which serves as a support system in times of difficulties, challenges and inevitable events of life including birth, marriages, death and funerals.

A person without a family is indeed vulnerable and miserable. Let us be careful, therefore, to maintain the bond of peace in our families. Husbands and wives must live in peace with their children. Parents must take good care of their children and nurture them with godly training to become responsible adults and citizens. Parents who will not think about their children’s future by catering for their education, vocational training, apprenticeship and business pursuit will have themselves to blame at their old age.

And children who refuse to honour their parents by taking good care of them will suffer setbacks, stagnation, poverty and premature death in life. Paul, the apostle, recognised this when he wrote, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right ‘Honour your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land” (Ephesians 6:1-3).

Relationship with Work

As already pointed out, man came from God to dwell on earth. While on the earth, humans must eat, clothe themselves, shelter themselves and meet other needs in their lives. This becomes important between the day humans settle on the earth and the day they depart from the earth. To meet these basic needs, God tasked man to work and keep the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:15). Men and women must not only be hard working, but also learn to be best managers of resources God puts into their hands.

Prayer and fasting are good, but they do not make Christians financially rich or put food on the table, provide clothes or accommodation. Rather, these things come by working with hands. Paul confirms this when he told the elders of the church at Ephesus that, “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me” (Acts 20:34). Again, in his letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul stressed that “…with toil and labor we worked night and day…if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:7-10).

The Bible clearly connects provision of food, clothing, accommodation and other necessities of life to working with hands. Poverty is an evil thing which must not be tolerated but uprooted. We must, therefore, pay attention to our relationship with our work. God does not hate money; He only hates the love of money, but a Christian who says money answers everything speaks by the spirit of pride, because money does not solve every problem people face on earth.

Conclusion

Now of these three: God, family and work, the greatest and most important is God. Thus, man’s relationship with God must be of utmost priority. Christ Jesus placed a strong emphasis on this when He said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”, (Matthew 6:33). Man comes from God at birth into the world to work and returns to God at death to face judgment of his works eventually. Man leaves every relationship on earth to waste away. Only our relationship with God lasts forever. Amen.

By James Quansah

Executive Director

(Christ-Conscious Leadership Centre)