WATCHWORD:
But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believed in His name. John 1:12
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Meditation:
It’s Personal!
How’s your relationship with God?
It’s personal.
Well, what’s the best part?
I told you, it’s personal.
Do you want to share?
Get your own relationship with God, mine is personal.
I understand that God loves us and want us to have a personal relationship with Him, but it is not exclusive. We are called to share.
I don’t want to talk about it!
Just a fictional conversation but it hits pretty close to home for me. Very early on in my walk with the Lord, I would respond to those questions in a similar way. Talking about my newly refreshed faith was not easy. Not only that, but I would have walked away from that conversation, steamed. How dare he challenge my faith? What?
What do we know about God? How would you answer that? Two things come to mind: 1. God loves us even if aren’t conscious of loving Him. Check out 1 John 4:10 – “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us”. 2. God wants us to know Him. The Bible says God is at work in everyone’s life. “So that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might find Him, though He is not far from each one of us”. Acts 17:27.
What’s wrong with us when it comes to our faith? We keep our light, too often, under a bushel. We all make choices that reveal how indifferent we are to God. Isaiah told us long ago that we are like sheep gone astray. Isn’t that the truth? I wonder if sometimes we’d rather embrace our “distractions” (another word for sins?) than the Lord?
We may say, ‘Why are You so far away, Lord?’ But, then, you must ask yourself, who created the distance? You may also ask, ‘What did God do for us?’ We are His creatures, and yet, we sometimes forget that Jesus came to do what we could not do for ourselves. He came into the world to bring us to God, our Father. Can you call to mind the words of John 3:16? He meant everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life! Got that?
Think about this: Jesus died in our place to pay for our sins. He rose from the dead to prove to us that His claims were true. This was all done for our benefit, because, we are slow-witted and needed the reinforcement, especially after he had already provided other proofs of his Sonship with God — the healings, the raising from the dead, the walking on water, the calming of storms and the Word that fed thousands. Time after time, Jesus lamented: ‘Oh, ye of little faith…” Was He talking about us? Sad to say…
So, ‘How is your relationship with God?’ Yes, it is personal, but it is blessed and needs our attention. It involves really trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, every minute of every day. We have a basic need for forgiveness. Repentance is not a singular act, it is an on-going state of mind. It is a daily practice of being tuned in to the Lord, asking for forgiveness, revealing our trust in Him, by sharing our faith.
Where do we begin? Friends, we start from where we are, this very moment. Lay your life at the foot of His Cross, and follow Him. Amen.
Prayer of Salvation:
Dear God, I know that my sin has separated me from You. Thank You for sending Your Son to die in my place. I trust Jesus to forgive my sins. I invite Him into my life is my Savior and Lord. Thank You for receiving me into Your eternal family. in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
