Relationships are at the Center of Everything
Hebrews 13
Let sibling-love remain.
Don’t forget stranger-love, for through this some “forgot” [their] being hospitable to envoys.
Remember the bonds as ones being co-bonded; the ones being mistreated as yourselves being [mistreated] in the body.Don’t forget doing good and a common life, for in such sacrifices, God is well-pleased.
Hebrews 13:1-3, 16, TST
Closing out the letter to the Hebrew Christians, the writer reminds them of their relationships with one another. While they also touch on other things, so much of it can be summed up here.
Keep on loving your brothers and sisters in Christ. Also show love and hospitality to strangers. Don’t forget to minister to those in bonds and who are mistreated. Do good to one another and live a common life together. You know, that seems to pop up a lot…must be pretty important. (See here and here.)
Relationships are at the center of everything. Our relationship with God. Our relationships with each other. Even our relationships with strangers. How we interact with each other is at the heart of and controls all other aspects of our lives, whether good or bad.
Romans 12:10 says, “affectionate ones in sibling-love for one another; leading in honoring one another,” (TST), or in other words, genuinely love each other as Jesus loves us, and honor each other. Put each other first. Share a common life together. Like, really live life together. Care for each other and bear one another’s burdens. So many times Jesus, Paul, and others talk about how we should treat each other - always with love at the center.
And at the center of it all, our relationship with Christ. Our love for Him and His love for us. A love so great that He allowed Himself to be sacrificed so that we might be made holy (v. 12). In turn, we do what is pleasing before God through Christ (v. 21). We pour that love out on all those around us - family, fellow Christians, strangers, prisoners, the persecuted…everyone needs the love of God and the blessings that come along with it. Everyone deserves the chance to have a relationship with Him, which they can then center their lives around, and share the opportunity with still others.
