John 15: 4 - 5 NKJV
I have heard a lot of talk over the years of having a "relationship" with God, of having a relationship with Jesus. I have a good friend who claims that one thing that brought him into fellowship of a particular church was that he desired a relationship with Jesus. I get it. However, if we are to be as good at our relationship with Christ as we are with our own relationships with those around us we might want to reconsider our motives. For as humans we have left some pretty bad stains upon the relationships we've had. We've often left others feeling as if a relationship was a bad thing. The marriage relationship of my own parents fell apart rather quickly, so my own views on relationships were looked upon through this filter. So, whenever someone tries to explain to me that they desire a closer relationship with Jesus my first question to them is...can you relate? Can you relate to someone who desires to be your all, even in those moments where you won't want to include Him? Can you relate to the truth of Jesus that you are not, nor have you ever been, independent from Him? Can you relate to the reality that when you become upset with Jesus, and you will, that you cannot simply walk away from Him? When we enter into a relationship with Jesus, it's not as one of those temporary flash in the pan infatuations we've often engaged in. This is a life relationship. All of the questions I listed above I've faced in my own relationship with Christ. When I've felt the weight of my sin, I didn't want to allow Jesus into my life for fear of what He might do. Well, we're told that Jesus has already put that sin issue to death {Romans 6:6-11}. There have been times when I have become upset with Jesus. Most notably after my mother passed. However, I soon realized that despite being angry with Him, I needed Him then more than ever. And the big one, that we can never be separate from God who created us. The apostle Paul speaks to us in Galatians that it is Jesus Himself who lives through us {Galatians 2:20}. I write this not as a warning to those who desire a closer relationship with Christ, but as reassurance that Jesus desires the very same thing we do.
"That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one. I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."
John 17: 21 - 23 NKJV
Our own relationship with Jesus will be different from any relationship we will ever have. There is no doubt in my mind that we now view relationships as something that is disposable. From marriages to friendships, our own closest relationships last about as long as they are beneficial to us. Again, I don't write this to discourage one from seeking a relationship with Jesus, but as a warning of what they may face in the process of coming to know Him. Jesus has never been one for temporary relationships. In fact, His desire for a relationship with us dates back to before we were even born. In His prayer in the garden, Christ prays for that relationship...that they (we who are Gods creation) "may be one in Us." Jesus was praying for that relationship with all of Gods creation, not just those who would come to know Him. Indeed, that friend whom you no longer speak to may desire a closer relationship with Jesus as much as you do. Jesus does not play favorites, he welcomes you both. If only that could be said with our own relationships. For our own track record with relationships is pretty dismal. Still we keep trying. I will say from personal experience that having a close relationship with Jesus is one of the best moves one could engage in. Before I came to know Him, Jesus was simply the Jesus of the bible I had read about. He was crucified, rose again on the third day and ascended into heaven to be with the Father. However, there was nothing in that story that told me that I could have a relationship with Him. It wasn't until I began reading the writings of Paul that I realized that a relationship with Christ was possible. Why is this important? Because Jesus is so much more than just that story in the bible. He is our all in all. Can you relate to that?
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
1 John 4: 9 NKJV
~Scott~
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