Scripture proclaims an unbreakable bond between the love of God which is the relationship and obedience to Him. Jesus teaches that keeping His words is an act of love toward Him so obedience to His instructions is at the core of the relationship. On the flipside not keeping His words detracts from the relationship demonstrating disdain for it. The way one approaches the whole counsel of God demonstrates the value placed on that relationship which is eternal life and salvation. Little things make a big difference in a marriage because actions speak volumes. Approaching God's instructions by focusing on whether something is salvational is like behaving in marriage with the idea that one will do a desired thing as long as the spouse will not divorce for it. If one knows that the other person cannot stand something and does it anyway that pattern of choosing personal desires over the other person's is bound to spill over into more critical areas. This corrosive approach is guided by what one can get away with rather than what is best for the other person and the relationship. This same principle of cause-and-effect applies in the relationship with God. Simply watching out for the so-called big sins suggests that one is not genuinely interested in conforming to Him just in not crossing a major red line. If the greatest desire is to live with God and like God for eternity one will do the utmost to live that way right now. Everything matters because it has some bearing on the relationship with God.

Reciprocity is always a component in one's relationship with God. If a relationship is one-sided, it does not remain a relationship. God demonstrated His love through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ when humanity did not deserve it, and He continues to demonstrate His love by guiding history, upholding all things, and working in individuals both to will and to do. Because responding to God's love is so important, God demonstrated it through Christ's death and made it possible for individuals to stand before God, but individuals have to respond and work within the spiritual purpose of God in order for things to work out spiritually. God desires a maintained, continuing, intimate relationship in a loving family, and meeting this requires a great deal of effort on the part of individuals through trusting Him in obedience, talking to Him frequently in prayer, studying His word, and being thankful in every circumstance of life. God is shown listening to what His people think about Him in their heart of hearts and what they say about Him to each other. If individuals love God, they like to think about Him, hear about Him, read about Him, please Him, love His friends, and be jealous about His name and honor.

Reciprocity is always a part of the relationship with God. He gives love and expects love from His people in return for their good. Works demonstrate faith as a response to the calling and freely given generous grace. God demands a response to the love that He gives because the response is good for the responders and fits within His purpose. Abraham's work demonstrated his belief and reciprocated his love back to God in obedience. Relationships must be worked at for improvement whether in the relationship with Christ in marriage or within the fellowship. This is most especially true of the relationship with Christ because that is the driving relationship to everything else. Human relationships are kept alive and growing and fresh and energizing by two people who are both contributing to the well-being of the relationship. Reciprocity is at work. God desires a maintained and continuing intimate relationship in a loving Family. Meeting this requires effort on the part of His people. That effort is made in trusting Him in obedience talking to Him frequently in prayer being thankful in every circumstance of life in spite of life's twists and turns and studying His Word. Even more is required in this intimate relationship because God is shown listening to what people think about Him in their heart of hearts and what they say about Him to each other. He wants love expressed to Him in words and in deeds so that glory and honor and dignity are brought to the Family of God and to Him because this is good for His people.