Relationship

Have you ever had a relationship in your life? Of course you have! It may be a relationship with a friend or a spouse or someone special in your life. The point is that you know what it’s like to “be connected.”

A good relationship often begins with a good friendship. When you make a new friend, you get to know each other by talking and spending time together. You begin to find out what your friend likes and dislikes. You start to understand what makes them happy or angry.

When I was a young child, a girl of the same age moved in next door. We began a very special friendship. For privacy, I’ll call her by the name of “Jane.”

Jane and I became inseparable. We did everything together.

I found out that Jane liked to swim, bicycle, and jump rope, just like I did. We spent a lot of time playing together. We talked, and we shared a lot of our hopes and fears.

I also found out that Jane would get upset with me when I couldn’t spend much time with her, but later on she would forgive me. It wasn’t my choice at the time.

Spending time with the Lord is our choice, and it is a very important choice! God desires for us to spend time with Him just like our earthly friends want. God even forgives us when we fail, if we ask and repent (turn away from our sin).

Maybe you didn’t realize that you can have this relationship with God through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ? I didn’t know it before either! You can now!

Jesus is your best friend if you allow Him this place in your life. You can have a relationship with Him and this should be first and foremost in your life, which will honor and glorify Him, and help you, too.

Our relationship suffers when we don’t spend time with Him and pray. We cannot grow strong without God, who is more important than anyone or anything else. After all, He did create us!

The Scripture tells us: “You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.” (Exodus 34:14 — NLT)

Jane and I had lots of things in common and we formed a special bond together.

In contrast, our spiritual relationship with the Lord, although similar to our approach with a friend, is way beyond this world and our fellow man! While getting to know the likes and dislikes of God, we will begin to understand what makes Him happy or angry. We need to repent from sin and learn to do what is holy. God will help us through the conviction of the Holy Spirit and by reading the Bible and praying to Him.

We can share our hopes and our fears with Jesus. Our relationship can bring the kind of contentment that only the Holy Spirit can provide through God’s peace and His fulfillment.

Our relationship with Jesus is a friendship with the one “who sticks closer than a brother.” (See Proverbs 18:24).

Pursuing a relationship with the Lord is so rewarding. Allow God to teach you His ways. You can become inseparable from Him and do everything together! He will provide His peace and His joy in doing so.

If you will “draw close to Him, He will draw close to you.” (See James 4:8)

This connection with God will cause you never to be alone. For God will “never leave you or forsake you.” (See Hebrews 13:5)

You will learn to obey and trust God, and He will guide your path. Allow God to work through you and change you to cause a purity of your heart, soul, mind, and spirit to commune with Him.

“Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their Savior.” (Proverbs 24:4-5 – NLT)

Our Heavenly Father, our God, is beyond any concept of an earthly father. God is so much more. Why wouldn’t you want to have this wonderful connection in this relationship with Him?

Only sin separates the will of the flesh of a person from the Spirit of God. We have the ability to allow God to change this in us through His power and our surrender. Submit to the Lord!

Once we become friends of God and have this rich relationship with Jesus, then we will desire whatever God wants us to accomplish (for example, what I’m doing here in this blog, by sharing it with you!):

“So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.” (Colossians 1:28 – NLT)

Until we virtually meet again, may God call you to Himself.

God’s Word for Today: “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (Luke 12:21 – NLT)

^{Copyright © 2011 by Patricia Shehan}