Starting Strong

How a Relationship with Jesus Changes

Every Other Relationship Too

Reflections From

Starting Strong

How a Relationship with Jesus Changes

Every Other Relationship Too

Reflections From

I

knowing Christ

Jesus my Lord.

PHILIPPIANS 3:8

Your First Love

Everyone has a chief love. Think about it; who or what comes first in your life? What is it that you just can’t live without? We all have something or someone that our hearts are bound to more deeply than anything else. It’s how God made us.

Our primary love sets the pace for everything we do and become. If our hearts are bound to a career path, that’s going to shape all our decision making. If another person is our first love, then we might live for their happiness. If a desire or pleasure comes first, then we’re going to do whatever it takes to get more of it.

Paul, a writer in the Bible, described what it’s like for Jesus to have that first-place position: “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” It may sound extreme, but Paul is describing what it means to live the Christian life.

Putting Jesus first doesn’t suddenly make everyone and everything else “a loss”—rather, nothing else compares to Him as our first love. And unlike other things that create imbalance when they take first place, Jesus sets things right. He impacts all our relationships in a truly positive way.

It is our prayer that the encouragements and insights in these pages will help you deepen your relationship with Jesus and allow Him to transform each area of your life. As you get to know Him better, you’ll discover how good it is to be His. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,” He invites us, “and I will give you rest” (MATTHEW 11:28).

In Him, Your friends at Our Daily Bread Ministries

1. Your Relationship with God

1 Corinthians 15:1–11

1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

Saved by Grace

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. [ 1 CORINTHIANS 15:10 ]

Gareth, a staunch atheist, was adamant: “There is no God.” But then he attended church and his belief system was “rocked”. He shared how, being Welsh, he “enjoys a good sing-song”. And although he wouldn’t normally consider the meaning of the words, this time he cried as he sang, “the vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives”. Imagine! He who hadn’t shed tears after the death of his father or his son stood in the chapel and wept.

Then the congregation sang the hymn “Amazing Grace”. “I knew I was toast,” Gareth admitted. He suddenly realised that the “catastrophic” things he had done—including ongoing drug and alcohol use—hadn’t resulted for him in death, illness or prison. Rather, that grace had operated in his life. In that moment, “I realised that I knew Jesus, and I had to accept him.”

In his conversion experience, Gareth followed the apostle Paul, who considered himself “the least of the apostles” because he had previously persecuted the church (1 CORINTHIANS 15:9). Yet Paul recognised God’s grace changing him: “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (V. 10), and he became a “new creation”, as he wrote to this church elsewhere (2 CORINTHIANS 5:17).

When we accept God’s grace, we too receive a full pardon. God releases us from our sin and welcomes us into a relationship with Him. What amazing grace!

AMY BOUCHER PYE

REFLECT: How can you trace God’s grace working in your life? How has God changed you, making you more like Jesus?

PRAY: Saving God, thank You for sending Your Son to live and die for me. Help me to share the gospel of grace with those I meet today.

BE STILL, AND KNOW that I am God.

PSALM

46:10

3 Ways to Go Deeper with God

1 Make time for God: It’s hard to form a meaningful relationship ‘in passing’. Quality time is always the hallmark of deepening intimacy. It’s the same with God. He is with us when we’re on the go; but it is also essential to have times where we simply rest in His presence and take our time listening to His voice in His Word. He invites us to “be still, and know that I am God” (PSALM 46:10). Where is your quiet place you can go to be alone with the Lord?

2 Let Jesus be your home: How do you know you don’t live at your friend’s house, or the supermarket, or at your workplace? Because home is where you go back to once you’ve finished visiting or attending these other places. Home is meant to be the place where you can be yourself and relax. This is how Jesus asks us to see Him: “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (JOHN 15:5). To “remain” in Jesus means to “stay close” or “make your home here”. Is Jesus your home, or just Someone you visit?

3 Give Him your heart: There are so many demands on our time and needs in our lives. Jesus knows this—but rather than trying to fulfil every desire and fix every problem ourselves, He says, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (MATTHEW 6:33). It’s hard to grow close to God if our focus is on getting by in this world each day. What is your heart set on: getting more of God or getting more of what this world offers?

2. Your Relationship with Yourself

Hebrews 9:11–22

11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, so obtaining eternal redemption.

13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.’ 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

No Healing without Blood

Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. [ HEBREWS 9:22 ]

“There’s no healing without blood.”

I didn’t hear this short, compelling sermon from my pastor, but from my physiotherapist. When I asked why he wanted to use ultrasound on my injured shoulder, he explained that a combination of massage, exercise and ultrasound would force blood into the area. Without a flow of blood, he explained, healing would be impossible.

The Bible agrees: there’s no healing without blood. In the Old Testament, the blood of animals was used to pay for sin, so that God’s people would be clean before Him. “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death!” (HEBREWS 9:14).

A clean conscience is something which we all long to experience. But because we still sin, we still wrestle with feelings of guilt, forgetting that there is an answer beyond just trying harder. My efforts cannot cover even one sin—but Jesus’ blood cleanses even the worst one. What was true on the first day of our salvation is still true today: healing only comes through the flow of Christ’s blood, shed upon the cross for us.

“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (V. 22). Praise Jesus! In Him, we are forgiven; cleansed—healed. Jesus has done this “once for all” (10:10). The flow of blood still covers and restores; healing and hope can be found in Him alone. DEBBI FRALICK

REFLECT: Is your instinct to try harder and do better when you feel guilty? How does Jesus’ “once-for-all” sacrifice bring you comfort and reassurance today?

PRAY: Jesus, forgive me for trying to cover my own sin. Thank You for doing everything to clean and heal me. I don’t need to cover myself, for I am always covered by Your blood.

5 Verses to Help You Rely on Jesus Rather than Yourself

1

2

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

3

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

4 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

5

You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:3-4

3. Your Relationship with the World

1 Timothy 6:6–10

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Trinkets

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

[ 1 TIMOTHY 6:6 ]

Walking my dog along the shore, I’d become entirely engrossed in beachcombing. Gleaming sea glass, soft twisty bits of driftwood and little pebbles soon filled my pockets. But as I lingered, the tide quietly rose, forcing me to navigate deeper waters and slippery rocks. I was desperate not to lose my footing or my dog.

Eventually we arrived home unharmed. But as I surveyed my trinkets, I began to think what they might have cost me. How I wished I’d kept my eyes on where I was going, rather than on what I could collect along the way!

Similarly, Paul issues a warning to Christians as we walk through life. Those with sights set on collecting the treasures of this world “fall into temptation and a trap”, potentially leading to “ruin and destruction” (1 TIMOTHY 6:9). So easily we can lose sight of where we are going. I was meant to be heading home, just as all of God’s people are journeying towards our true home.

That’s why Paul urges, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (VV. 6–7). We can’t keep a single piece of the ‘treasure’ we collect here. But we can learn to be content with God’s daily presence and provision—whether much or little—in our lives (V. 8), knowing that each day we are slightly closer to being home.

DEBBI FRALICK

REFLECT: Have your eyes been lured away from your true home by the treasures, values and expectations of this world? What “great gain” might you experience if you let God define your contentment in this world?

PRAY: Heavenly Father, I pray that You would help me fix my eyes on where I am going, not on what I can collect along the way.

I have chosen you

OUT OF THE WORLD.

THAT IS WHY THE WORLD HATES YOU.

JOHN 15:19

3 Enemies Christians Must Contend With

You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. [ EPHESIANS 2:1–3 ]

1

2

This world: The Bible uses “the world” as shorthand for society’s general collective rejection of God. John writes: “Everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 JOHN 2:16). The kingdom we see around us is headed for judgement because its wisdom and ways fight against God and what He calls good.

The ruler of the kingdom of the air: We have an active, real enemy who is out to get us. Peter explains, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 PETER 5:8). The devil rules this world; he is constantly at work here tempting us, distracting us from God, luring us away from the truth, and whispering accusations into our ears.

3

The flesh: “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (GALATIANS 5:16). “The flesh” is what the Bible calls our own selfish desires and appetites that go against God’s will; lust, greed, pride, etc. Our flesh wants to be our king, so we’ll serve ourselves, doing what feels good and making our own way. Until we’re in heaven, these instincts will conflict with God’s Spirit who now lives in us.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. [ EPHESIANS 2:4–5 ]

4. Your Relationship with Church

Ephesians 2:14–22

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

God’s Eternal Church

The gates of hades will not overcome it.

[ MATTHEW 16:18 ]

“Is church over?” asked a young mother arriving at our church with two children in tow just as the Sunday service was ending. But a greeter told her that a church nearby offered two Sunday services and the second would start soon. Would she like a ride there? The young mother said yes and seemed grateful to travel to the other church. Reflecting later, the greeter came to this conclusion: “Is church over? Never. God’s church goes on forever.”

The church isn’t a fragile ‘building’. It’s the faithful family of God who are “members of his household,” wrote Paul, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (EPHESIANS 2:19–22).

Jesus Himself established His church for eternity. He declared that despite challenges or troubles facing His church, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (MATTHEW 16:18 KJV)

Through this empowering lens, we can see our local churches—all of us—as a part of God’s universal church, being built “in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!” (EPHESIANS 3:21).

PATRICIA RAYBON

REFLECT: What about your local church makes you grateful? How can you help God’s universal church grow?

PRAY: As a part of Your church, dear Jesus, help me to grow in You.

5-minute Bible Study: 1 Corinthians 12:24–27

24 God has put the body together, giving greater honour to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

1 What actions has God taken in these verses? What are we told to do?

2 What encourages you about this description of the church body? How well does this describe your church family?

3 How do you think you can experience and be part of the “equal concern” described (V. 25)?

4 How has being part of the body of Christ helped you in hard times? How can you look to serve and support others in your local church?

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for making me part of Your worldwide family of believers. Even when I feel alone, I know I am eternally joined with everyone who prays to “Our Father”. Amen.

Where next? If you have time, read the whole of 1 Corinthians 12:12–31. Reflect on the full description of God’s people as one, united body—and consider your role within it.

A Bible study take-away! See if listing God’s actions and our actions in other New Testament letters helps you get a clearer picture of what it means to be a fellow worker with Him.

5. Your Relationship with the Bible

John 5:31–40

31 ‘If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favour, and I know that his testimony about me is true.

33 ‘You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

36 ‘I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish – the very works that I am doing – testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

The Author of Everything

These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.

[ JOHN 5:39 ]

Listening to BBC Radio 4, I was struck by something comedian Lee Mack said: “It's quite odd that people like myself, in their forties, [are] happy to dismiss the Bible, but I've never read it. I always think that if an alien came down and you were the only person they met, and they said, 'What's life about? What's earth about? Tell us everything,' and you said, 'Well, there's a book here that purports to tell you everything.’ . . . And you go, ‘. . . I've never read it.' It would be an odd thing wouldn't it?”

Indeed, the Bible tells the story of our world, from the very beginning (GENESIS 1:1) right through to the dramatic and triumphant end to come (REVELATION 21). Yet God’s Word actually does much more than just retell everything; it introduces the Author of everything.

That’s what Jesus wanted the Jewish leaders to realise. They thought they were righteous simply because they knew the Scriptures. But Jesus observed: “These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life”

(JOHN 5:39–40)

To know the Bible’s story is to know the One it is about. As we seek to embrace the love of Jesus Christ and to understand His character, we’ll increasingly make sense of every passage, event and promise in the Bible. And we’ll find our place with Him within His story.

CHRIS WALE

REFLECT: How have you glimpsed Jesus throughout the Bible’s story? How might your studies and reflections deepen by asking of each passage: “What does this show me about Jesus?”

PRAY: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word and for speaking faithfully to me through it by Your Spirit.

IT IS WRITTEN: “MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON every word THAT COMES FROM THE mouth of God.”

MATTHEW 4:4

3 Questions to Ask when You Read the Bible

1

What does this passage tell me about God? Jesus said of God’s Word, “These are the very Scriptures that testify about me” (JOHN 5:39). When we read the Bible, we do so to get to know its Author. We can learn something about Him through every story, command and character. What might you learn of His heart by pausing over each passage and asking Him to reveal something of Himself to you?

2 What does this passage tell me about myself? “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 TIMOTHY 3:16–17)

The Bible is like a mirror, it shows us who we really are: sinners who have been made new by Christ. True transformation is found in letting God reveal our hearts—and our hope—through the stories and troubled individuals of Scripture.

3 How will these truths affect my relationships today? “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (PSALM 119:105). We see the world through God’s eyes as we let His Word soak into our hearts and minds. This isn’t necessarily a quick process, but as we learn to hold on to the truth of Scripture, we will see God’s heart impacting ours, affecting and deepening our relationship with Him and others.

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Starting Strong

How a Relationship with Jesus Changes

Every Other Relationship Too

Paul wrote in the Bible: “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” It may sound extreme, but he’s describing what it means for Jesus to have first place in our hearts. He’s describing what it means to live the Christian life.

It is our prayer that these encouragements and insights from Our Daily Bread will help you deepen your relationship with Jesus and allow Him to transform each area of your life. As you get to know Him better, you’ll discover how good it is to be His. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,” He invites us, “and I will give you rest” (MATTHEW 11:28).

For information on our resources, visit ourdailybread.org . Alternatively, please contact the office nearest to you from the list below, or go to ourdailybread.org/locations for the complete list of offices.

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