Experiencing God's Power In Your Relationships Part 2

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Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be the Person of the Trinity that would indwell us as we endeavor to live as disciples of Jesus. Through Him, we would be in intimate contact with the Godhead on a moment by moment basis. "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. (John 14:15-17) The Holy Spirit is called the Helper by Jesus for good reason. It is through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit that God will help us in all of life. One of the most crucial areas He desires to help us in is our relationships with others. Lamentably, this is an area that we usually try to handle in our own power, our own way. I say lamentably because we hardly ever get it right. The two greatest commands God has given us both involve relationships: And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40) None of our relationships can be their fullest without God’s help, and He wants to help more than you could ever imagine. In the 5th chapter of Ephesians we are given insight into what the love God wants looks like. Instead of being simply an emotion, the love God wants to see in us is actively exploring the other person in order to give what will please them. First of all, in our relationship with God, we are told: “Try to learn what pleases the Lord. “ (Ephesians 5:10) “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.” (Ephesians 5:17) Then, in the love between husbands and wives we see the same thing. God commands us to give to each other that which the other needs from us the most. Wives are commanded to respect their husbands, while husbands are commanded to love their wives. Dr. Larry Crabb tells us that a woman’s deepest need is to be able to share herself deeply with those close to her. She needs a safe environment in order to do this, so God has commanded husbands to provide it by loving them like Christ loves the Church. Dr. Crabb says that a man’s deepest need is to feel like he counts in some way in this world. For that reason, God has commanded wives to respect their husbands, thereby meeting that deepest need. God has set the precedent for us to follow in our relationship with God and between husbands and wives here: Find out what is important to them, and to the best of your ability, provide it. As you lovingly explore and try to provide, you will find God’s power through the presence of His Holy Spirit, will be with you, helping you, just as He promised.