Verses Used:

• Proverbs 15:1
• Proverbs 11:13
• Joshua 21:43-45
• Luke 15:12-32
• Matthew 18:21-22
• Ephesians 4:32
• 1 Corinthians 13:4-7,13

Direct Communication

• Communication is essential to having a healthy relationship. Without clear communication we are left to assume and rarely assume correctly.
• Communication is absolutely necessary, but equally important in communication is the way we say it.
• How you say something is equally important to what you say.

• Trust means that we can rely on someone because we feel safe and have confidence that they will not hurt or betray us.
• Trust is another way of saying we have faith. We trust God, or have faith in God because he is trustworthy. He is faithful.
• If we want to have better relationships with other people, we have to learn how to build trust.

• We forgive because we have been forgiven. It’s as simple as that.
• Josh points out that forgiveness is not the same as trust. Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets.

• There are different types of love outlined in the bible:
• Eros- Romantic Love
• Storge- Familial Love
• Philia- Friendship Love
• Agape- Sacrificial Love

• Why does communication so quickly break down in relationships?
• Why do you think so many people are not trustworthy? Who is one person in your life you can trust?
• In the story of the Prodigal son, why does the father not punish his son when he comes home? How is this story a picture of the gospel?
• Does it make it easier to forgive others when we realize how much we have been forgiven by God? If so, why?