Foreword

Our characters are influenced to a great degree by the relationships that we form. God should be the most important influence in our life because our relationship with Him affects all our other relationships. God is our Creator, and He wants to be our Saviour and our Guide through life.

“Without a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour, it is impossible to make our influence felt in a skeptical world. We cannot give to others that which we do not ourselves possess. It is in proportion to our own devotion and consecration to Christ that we exert an influence for the blessing and uplifting of mankind. If there is no actual service, no genuine love, no reality of experience, there is no power to help, no connection with heaven, no savor of Christ in the life. Unless the Holy Spirit can use us as agents through whom to communicate to the world the truth as it is in Jesus, we are as salt that has lost its savor. By our lack of the grace of Christ we testify to the world that the truth which we claim to believe has no sanctifying power; and thus, so far as our influence goes, we make of no effect the word of God.”—The Review and Herald, July 27, 1905.

“Our life is to be bound up with the life of Christ; we are to draw constantly from Him, partaking of Him, the living Bread that came down from heaven, drawing from a fountain ever fresh, ever giving forth its abundant treasures. If we keep the Lord ever before us, allowing our hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to Him, we shall have a continual freshness in our religious life. Our prayers will take the form of a conversation with God as we would talk with a friend. He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Often there will come to us a sweet joyful sense of the presence of Jesus. Often our hearts will burn within us as He draws nigh to commune with us as He did with Enoch. When this is in truth the experience of the Christian, there is seen in his life a simplicity, a humility, meekness, and lowliness of heart, that show to all with whom he associates that he has been with Jesus and learned of Him.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 129, 130.

As we accept Jesus as our personal Saviour and Friend, He will guide us in all our other relationships. He will help us to choose our close friends wisely. We will be a blessing to our friends and family. We will work together with our brothers and sisters in the faith in reaching out to others. We will respect law and order. May God help us as we study this quarter about The Christian’s Relationships to learn how to build positive relationships with God and those around us, revealing the love of God toward humanity.

The General Conference Sabbath School Department