Translate

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Are you in a relationship?


A relationship is the way two or more objects, concepts, or people are connected.  It can also describe the connection between two people by either blood or marriage.  When someone asks if you are in a relationship generally we think about our husbands or wives, girlfriends or boyfriends and we can easily say yes or no.  But what about when we are asked if we have a relationship with Jesus Christ?  If we are saved and have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, then we generally respond by saying Yes.  But are we really in a relationship with Him or is He just an acquaintance we call on when we are so desperate there is nothing else to do?  Do we spend time with Him in prayer and in the Word?  Do we talk to Him as we would a friend?  Do we try to bring Him honor with our character and in our lives?

To have a good, healthy relationship with my husband, I must spend time with him learning about him.  I have to communicate with him, share ideas, hurts, anger, pain, and so on.  The more time we spend together, the more he knows about me, the more I know about him and the better we can get along.  We will also learn to trust each other with our secrets, dreams, mistakes, and our hearts.  I will begin to learn the way he thinks and can better understand how to communicate with him. 

The same concepts are true when considering our relationship with Jesus Christ and God the Father.  When we ask Jesus to be our Saviour and to forgive our sins, we have entered into a relationship with him.  We have become new creatures in Him and we have become part of the Bride of Christ.  Often we say our sinner's prayer and go on about our lives like we have no further obligation in the matter.  But that is not true.  When my husband and I decided to get married, we didn't stop seeing each other.  We didn't think that our ceremony was just going to happen on its own.  No, we spent time together planning the ceremony.  We had to make decisions like what he and the groomsmen were going to wear, what the bridesmaids were going to wear.  We had to decide if we were to take communion together for the first time as a married couple.  We had many decisions to make. 

The flip side of that coin is also true.  If I do not spend quiet time with my husband then we grow apart.  If the two of us do not set aside time to just be a couple...not mom, not dad, not boss/employee...just "us," then we forget how to communicate with each other.  We will fail to open up to each other and talk about even just the simplest things in our lives.  We will fail to lean on each other for support, for comfort. 


Being in relationship with Christ is no different.  We have to spend time with Him in prayer, in the Word of God, learning about Him and learning about the ways of the Father.  The more time we spend, the more we trust Him.  The more we trust Him, the greater our faith becomes in His character, in His promises, in His love for us. 

I once heard a televangelist (I can't remember who) say that early in his walk with the Lord, he put a chair beside the front door of his home next to a small table with a bible on it.  He left the chair empty, no one ever sat in it.  It was reserved for Jesus.  He said it was a constant reminder before he left his home every day to sit down, read and study the word, and spend time with Jesus.  The reasoning was if Jesus were actually sitting in that chair, he would not walk past Him and out the door without first sitting down to talk with Him. 

That analogy has stuck in my head for many years.  It is a simple analogy but very indicative of how we should build our relationship with Christ and the Father.  We must spend time in prayer and reading the Word of God in our quiet place..in our alone time with Him, daily.  Every day we should be still and know that He is God.  He loves us.  He cares for us.  He cares what happens to us. Our relationship with Christ should be first and foremost above all else in our lives. 

Make the time each day to read the word and pray.  Don't just pray, but listen.  God will speak to you.  Build your relationship with Him.  Don't  let a gulf build between you and your Creator because you are too busy with "life."

No comments:

Post a Comment