What does it mean to have a relationship with God?

Christians are funny people.  We says things like ‘Christianity is a relationship, not a religion’, we track things like the day we ‘got saved’ or baptized, and we have ‘life verses’ much like the ones posted on this blog.  Our cars have stickers like WWJD, NOTW or the Christian Fish.  All of these things to identify that we believe in Jesus, but does any of it matter if we are not in an actual relationship with God?  Well I think it matters to Jesus and His is really the only opinion that matters.

While Jesus was here, He spoke about the importance of this relationship. One of the most sobering passages is found in Matthew 7 when Jesus says to some folks “depart from Me, I never knew you.”  Can you imagine being there, well we will all be there, but can you imagine those words being said to you?  It is apparent from the passage that those people Jesus is speaking to were people who “practiced” Christianity, but they were not true believers. They were never regenerate, born again, baptized into His death, they never had saving faith.  This passage is only 3 verses, but so much can be unpacked here in regards to Christian moral-ism.  People do ministry for a lot of reasons other than to glorify and serve God.  People go to church for a lot of reasons other than to grow their faith, pursue holiness and be an active member of the body of Christ.  Sadly, many people do these things as a way of being Christian, they don’t do them because they are Christian.  Some of those reasons may be good (morally), but anything outside of what I listed completely misses the mark that God has placed before us.

God wants us to know Him and to trust Him and to live our lives in a manner that seeks to obtain His moral character through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus has a lot more to say throughout the Gospels about our relationship with God.   “I no longer call you servants, but I call you friends” or “seek first the Kingdom of God” or “Why do you call me Lord and not do what I say” or “My sheep hear my voice and they follow Me” or “I am the good Shepherd and I know My own and My own know Me” and one of my favorites from Matthew: “come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest, take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, I am meek and lowly, you will find rest for your souls.”  In the book of Romans, Paul uses the term Abba Father to describe our relationship to God.  That would be equivalent to the term daddy.  Paul describes us as children of God, adopted into the family of God and our relationship to God is very much with the adoration of a parent-child relationship.

So how do we get there?  Well if you have asked Jesus to come into your heart, you need to make time to pray and read your bible which is your spiritual nutrition.    The New Testament describes new believers as babies who can have milk, but eventually need to move on to solid food.  That is to say that we need to grow up in our faith, pursue spiritual maturity. The pursuit of God has to be priority one in your life.  Commit a week reading and praying through Psalm 119 and see all of the value that will come from knowing scripture.  Should you put God on your calendar?  If it helps you make that time, fine.  I do not, but there was a time when I had to because my priorities were screwed up, I just didn’t know it at the time.  Personally, I would not want to reduce God to a check mark on my to do list.  Would you do that with any other relationship?  With anyone you love?  With anyone who loves you?  If God time, quiet time, devotions or prayer is a task on your busy schedule, then I would encourage you to take a step back and check your priorities.  If you are a Christian, your whole life should be God time, you should always be Mindful of His Presence and seek communion with Him.  If you don’t have a desire to have a priority one relationship with God, then I would encourage you to actively seek it through prayer, read the bible daily and commit to God.  Do not base the decision entirely on how you feel.  If you have given intellectual consent to the Gospel message and salvation by grace through faith, but still lack conviction, then do it out of obedience.  You won’t always feel God’s presence and that’s okay, we walk by faith, not by feelings.