“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

Many of us have probably heard about the importance of having a strong relationship with God. When our heart is pointed toward God and our relationship with Him is right, this will overflow into other relationships in our lives and impact how we treat others. This applies to all different types of relationships such as personal relationships with family members, friends, acquaintances, coworkers, classmates or significant others.

It is essential that we prioritize God in our relationships, no matter the connection. He should be the most important person in our lives and His word can help guide us on how to love and respect others. Through deepening our relationship with Him, we can better care about those around us.

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.

When we become Christians, God’s wishes take precedence over our own desires. He becomes a priority in our lives. Relationships, if we do not have our firm foundation, can draw us away from this priority.

Perhaps, we join a new group of friends and suddenly spend all of our time hanging out with them instead of spending time in God’s presence. Or maybe, we devote all our time to our significant other and forget to fellowship with other believers at church outside of our relationship. No matter the situation, we have to remember we need and His will for our lives.

We can remember God’s word found in Mark 12:30-31, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” This shows us what is most important in life, both of which involve relationships.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Not all relationships muddle our priorities; in fact, many relationships can also push us to grow deeper in our faith. We may have a friend, family member or significant other who encourages us when we are struggling and loves us like Jesus. These people are a blessing and can make a difference in our lives. As Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend , and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”

How can we build  Well, we must first evaluate ourselves. Are we focused on Christ and striving to follow him? Are we loving and caring for others the way the Bible tells us to? If not, we can pray to develop these qualities and practice being more Christlike.

Developing Christ-centered relationships also requires us to surround ourselves with those who are striving to do the same. However, we do need to keep in mind that the Bible tells us to treat those with love who do not have the same ideals or who may step on our nerves. Relationships of all kinds take effort and love on our part. If we are struggling with this, there is no better place to turn to than the Bible, which offers wisdom on how to treat others.