Nearly 12 years ago, I wrote and released The People Factor, addressing the problems that persist in our relationships with other humans. Though the book has touched many, the problems it addressed remain. The cross reminds us of two crucial dimensions of our lives: the vertical, which is our relationship with God, and the horizontal, which is our relationship with one another. Most of us struggle with the latter, our relationships with others, so let’s explore how we can do better connecting with others on a biblical foundation, God’s way.
We all know relationships matter. They matter for many reasons, but the biggest is that God uses the same two sources to accomplish everything, His Word and a person. Think about it: He preserved humanity in the flood (Noah), the birth of a nation (Abraham), leading His people into the promised land (Joshua), redeeming humanity (Jesus), and bringing salvation to the Gentiles (Paul). God always uses His Word and a person, which demonstrates how valuable relationships are! God works in our lives the same way He has always worked. In Scripture, God’s people operated on the “law of hospitality” (Hebrews 13:2), knowing that when they were hospitable to strangers, they were likely opening the door for God to move in their lives. Many of us can testify to this in our own lives. Isolation is one of the enemy’s favorite tactics because it thwarts God’s purpose and plan for our lives.