For reasons unclear, around 2000 BC, God chose a man named Abram (eventually renamed Abraham) from the city of Ur in Babylonia (modern-day Iran/Iraq) and promised to bless him (Gen. 12:2). Eventually Abraham’s son, Isaac, would have a son named Jacob. Despite Jacob being a liar and deceiver, God was faithful to His promise and continued to work on Jacob. God’s love and patience is long, because He desires to see people change! At one point, God wrestled Jacob to show His sovereignty and then renamed him Israel (‘he that struggles/strives with God’, Gen. 32:28). Jacob/Israel had twelve sons, one of whom was Joseph. Joseph was sold by his brothers and became a slave in Egypt. Years later, Joseph became a leader of Egypt and Jacob/Israel along with all the other brothers moved there to live (Gen. 47:11). After Joseph’s death (c. 1804 BC), and for the next 400 years, God prospered Israel’s descendants in Egypt as He promised Abraham and Jacob (Gen 46:3). God desires to bless His people and, with obedience, it can lead to greater blessings!

Humans are designed to find connection in community. However, the community can either be supportively healthy and constructive or supportively unhealthy and destructive. God made the church to be a place where Christian community helps and holds people accountable with their challenges (Acts 2:44, 45; 1 Cor. 12:27). Through discipleship, believers focus on holiness and self-control. Accountability is built into living (Gen. 2:16, 17; 3:17; Gal. 6:1, 2; Heb. 13:17). While we can chose whether to be accountable, we don’t get to choose the consequences when we fail to heed accountability (1 Cor. 5:10, 11). Pride keeps accountability from happening. Like combat, defeat and death happen in isolation. Stop denial, stop blame-shifting—accept responsibility, accept accountability. While the heart has hope, the flesh needs help (Matt. 26:41). Be with people on the same mission as you (Amos 3:3)!

Everyone is born with an innate desire to have things their way—especially in the area of relationships. Paul tells the Ephesians, most of whom came out of pagan backgrounds that encouraged deceit, to get rid of all falsehood (Gr. pseudos, ‘to be false/lying’) and focus on being truthful and having integrity. This means not using people or the situation for your benefit at the expense of the truth. As God is truth, so His children must be people of truth (John 17:17). One of the sinful ways humans view relationships is the need to control. Relationship control is seen through anger outbursts, fear, emotional manipulation, passive-aggressive behaviors, bribery, or withholding good or loving interactions. Your relationships should reflect the glory of God’s goodness, not the glory of your greed (Col. 3:2)!

Humans were originally designed with no physical or spiritual defects. Once sin entered the world, people became un-ideal and the result was brokenness in all facets of life (Gen. 3). Since birth, all people are born with physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual tendencies inherited from their parents. Biologically, each parent gave 23 chromosomes to each person giving them their physical and behavioral traits. Sociologically, each person grew up in an environment which influenced their thinking and behavior. Theologically, every person is born with an autopilot to selfishness and sin and uses biological and sociological realities to encourage or excuse their choices (Rom. 3:23). Regardless of bio or social makeup, everyone is responsible for the choices that come from their character (Matt. 12:33-37).

Humanity is designed by God to have a relationship with Him. God’s original intent was that people co-exist with Him in an authentic, unhindered state that promoted open, honest, and pure heart-felt interaction (Gen. 2). Even after sin entered the world—damaging humanity’s unobstructed connection to God—people still longed for a real, heart-felt attachment to Him. Without God’s intervention, people are unable to have a pure heart, though we long for it even if we have never experienced it ourselves. It is this restless desire of our hearts that exposes the original relationship with God He intended. Happiness comes from the heart—and there is no true happiness without purity of heart!

From the beginning, humanity was God’s focus as His highest and greatest creation (Gen. 2). Through His love for people and in His sovereignty, God calls people to come to Jesus and change their lives (John 3:16; Acts 2:38, 39). This invitation is for people to stop their pride and lay down their hurts, habits, hang-ups and anxieties (Ps. 55:22; 1 Pet. 5:7). Through it all, God calls! 

God is the never created, eternal, all-powerful, righteous, loving Being who created all things and upholds them by His power (Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:16, 17). As He is the Supreme Being and Author of life and Law, He has a right to run the universe as He sees fit.