Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

This past weekend and upcoming week was/is full of relationship support moments for me. I was blessed to support my granddaughter at her basketball game and my wife as MC for our church’s anniversary talent show. And Lord willing, I will be there for my ‘frother’ (friend and brother) as he and his family celebrate his daddy’s heavenly gain and they’re earthly loss.

In the midst of my activities and planning, the Holy Spirit inspired me to spend this week lifting up relationships.

Let’s begin with examining proof of a relationship.

In today’s scripture, John 10:27 (NLT), Jesus said…
[27] My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Consider…
Jesus says soo much with such few words. In today’s verse we’re given key elements of a relationship. From Jesus’ words we see that relationships are…

• Communicative
• Familiar
• Responsive

We see the communicative proof of relationships from Jesus’ statement that “my sheep listen to my voice”. This conveys that people in relationship possessively communicate with one another. Jesus used the possessive pronoun “MY”, in describing His communication with those in relationship with Him. We know that He’s talking about communicating because He said they listen!

Accordingly, the first proof of relationships is that people recognize and pay attention to one another.

Next, we see familiarity in Jesus’ first words just shared, and emphasized in this next statement, “I know them”. Jesus made it clear, He knows who is authentically down with Him. That makes me think of His words in Matthew 7:21 (NLT)…
[21] “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.

Jesus was saying posers can’t hang with Him in His Kingdom. I can hear Anthony Brown and Jonathan McReynolds playing in the background while Jesus speaks…
I only got time for the real this year
And it don’t get no realer than you

Who is right there (right there)
Every time that you call (my God is)
Who is right there (right there)
To pick you up, when you fall (my God is)
Who is right there (right there)
To meet every one at your needs (my God is)

And Who makes a way after way and never
Forsakes you And never leaves
I don’t care what the world’s saying
I’ve seen the work’s of his hands
He’s come though time to time again
And you can’t make me
Doubt him

I don’t care what the world’s saying
I’ve seen the work’s of his hands
He’s come through time to time again
And you can’t make me
Doubt him

The love he gives me is real
(The joy) the joy he gives me is real
(Peace) the peace he gives me is real
Yes he’s so real to me

A second proof of relationships is the authenticity of the people involved. And let’s be honest, we know who is real with us and who’s not.

This raises a question, are you known by Jesus? Can you testify with Tauren Wells…
It’s so unusual, it’s frightening
You see right through the mess inside me
And you call me out to pull me in
You tell me I can start again
And I don’t need to keep on hiding

I’m fully known and loved by You
You won’t let go no matter what I do
And it’s not one or the other
It’s hard truth and ridiculous grace
To be known fully known and loved by You
I’m fully known and loved by You

It’s not enough to know about Jesus, what matters most is to be known by Him. If you’re wondering how, here’s what He said in John 15:14-17 (NLT)…
[14] You are my friends if you do what I command. [15] I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. [16] You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. [17] This is my command: Love each other.

Another proof of relationships is obedient love for one another.

The last proof we will identify today, was broached by Jesus in the Matthew 7:21 verse shared above. In it Jesus said, “Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” This corroborates with His words in today’s verse, where He said “and they follow me”.

Relationships are proved by actions more than words.

My granddaughter, wife and ‘frother’ know that I love them by my being there for them more than my mere words to them. The same is true with our relationship with God, we prove it more by what we do than what we say. To make my case, the Holy Spirit told me to call Job as a witness. Remember, God asked Satan if he considered testing Job as proof of an unbreakable and unconditional relationship that he had with Him. Can God say the same thing about you?

Prove your relationships by what you do in response to recognizing and responding to your beloved’s voice obediently. With God, that obedience is loving one another.

Prove your relationship with God today by loving others, in Jesus name Amen!

Today’s Song is…
Love One Another

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)