There are three powerful reasons to create an intimate relationship with Christ. By intimate, I mean a daily personal ongoing dialog.
a. Relationships take time to build.
b. Strong relationships can be counted on during a crisis.
c. We were created to love and be loved.
Build a Relationship
All relationships take time. A relationship with God is unlike other relationships in many ways but still follows the rules of other relationships. We are important to God; He wants a strong relationship with us. But a relationship is a two-way street. He can not have a strong relationship with us if we do not encourage the same relationship with Him.
Luke 12:7, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
How often do you talk to your best friend? How important is it to you to know what they are doing? How strongly do you want to be involved in what they are doing? To whom do you share good news and bad news? Is that relationship any different from your relationship with God?
Matthew 5:6, “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.”
What would your friends feel like if you only spoke to them when you needed them to do something for you? How would you feel if someone treated you this way? Relationships are about understanding each other’s deepest desires of the heart. Relationships are about sharing the daily joys and triumphs of your life, along with the challenges. Take time to thank God for every moment of joy that happens in your life, as it happens. Acknowledge the challenges and ask for guidance.
Jesus made time to get away from His earthly calling to speak with His Father; He understood the need to keep the relationship centered on His life and constantly renewed.
Mark 1:35, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
Daily intimacy with God is vital in creating a lasting relationship that will weather any storm. The strength and depth of your relationship with Him is a barometer of your trust in Him.
Draw Strength to Fight the Daily Battles
It is essential to spend time alone with God because God is the source of our strength, and we need His strength to fight the spiritual battles of our lives.
John 15:4. “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.”
He goes on to say;
John 15:7-8, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this, my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
We live in a broken world. That has almost become a cliché. We all know this, but we somehow still believe we can navigate the turbulent waters of daily life without help. Somehow we come to think that we only need the sustenance of the vine for the more significant problems of our lives, not the daily grind.
In many cases, it is the daily grind that introduces problems because of the lack of fruit in our daily walk. Having a continuous intimate relationship with Christ will smooth out some of these challenges. His presence in our daily walk will remind us of how we should live. The constant dialog will nudge us back on track when we stray.
It will also give you the confidence to know that Christ is there in the tough times. These are when the pain is so great we forget to ask for help. Our mind is so occupied with the circumstance that we fail to look up. Sometimes, we even feel God has stepped away, and we are on our own.
Strong and solid relationships do not abandon each other in time of need; they bond closer together. So don’t wait until you need a friend to create a friend.
To Love and Be Loved
1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
We also spend time alone with God out of love. It is central to our nature to love and desire to be loved. We don’t all experience this similarly, but we all need love.
Ephesians 3:17-19, “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”
Worldly love is challenging. People are not capable of unconditional love. As hard as we try, we fall short. God’s love is perfect. God’s love for us is unchanging. God’s love for us is steadfast.
Most of all, God loved us to the point that he sent His son to die for us that we may have eternal life.
John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
TO DO’s
Spend some quality time with Christ every day and throughout the day
Matthew 4:4, “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
Let those truths permeate your mind and think about them throughout the day
Psalm 1:2, “But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”
Put away, or quit, things that aren’t pleasing to the Lord. Instead, let the Holy Spirit search your life and point out the things that God wants you to face and overcome.
Colossians 3:8-9, “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its practices.”
“Spending time with God through prayer and His Word is a prerequisite for having a great life and fulfilling your purpose.” — Joyce Meyer