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BUILDING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST (GOD)From the West Meadow
It's not enough to go to Church on the Sabbath, on Sunday, on some week day or night, even one or two days a week for an hour to an hour and half. This is not suffficient to build a close, abiding relationship with Christ. Any relationship we have with Christ is the gateway to the Father, thus building our relationship with the Father. John 17:3;"And this is eternal life (or this is the means to eternal life), that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." How do we develope a close abiding relationship with the Father and the Son? First of all we must believe Hebrews 11:6. But that in itself is not enough Mathew 7:21-23, that's the starting point. Second, we must come to hunger and thrist after the word of God. John 5:39; "These are they which testify of me." It's through God's word that we are set apart. John 17:17; "Santify them by your truth, your word is truth." The importance of assimilating God's word really hits home when we view the Passover Service. Christ encourages us to understand it when He says "Do this in remembrance of me." Christ said "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God 'I am the living bread, if anyone eats this bread, he will live forever.'" The Passover Service leads us to symbolicly participate in the shed blood of Christ, through which we have redemption (forgiveness of sin), to ingest the very word of God John 1:1-14; "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word became flesh...". By so doing we receive life John 6:45-48. It is a close abiding relationship with the Word of God that brings us life. The written word of God brings us to the truth of who the Word of life is and how we are effected. As important as our study and reading of God's word is , of equal importance is the time we spend in heartfelt prayer to Him. John 16:23-24. Hebrews 10:19 "Having boldness to enter the Holy of Holies by the blood of Christ." James 5:16 "The fervent, heartfelt prayer of a righteous man (righteous because of the blood of the Lamb) avails much." To build an intimate, lasting relationship with God takes sacrifice on our part Romans 12:1-2. It takes commitment and it takes time, our time. But it is worth it. Prayer and the written word give us the two way street of communication with God. It is as important for us to receive what God wants us to know as it is for us to tell God what we want Him to know. I pray for you the prayer of Paul Eph 1:15-21; "..that the God of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." AMEN. Your Brother and Sister in Christ Wes and Lavinia Return to Recent Columns Here. Find Past Columns Here. |