A Relationship You Can Count On

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you." ~A.A. Milne

Relationships are as necessary to life as the food that we eat, and each breath that we take. Humans are not just biological creatures. We are also social creatures, the most social on earth. Therefore, the different ways we deal with each other, from personal to international relationships, can have as much an influence on our behavior as our instinctive reactions.

Certainly, the relationships that we have with others play an important part in our lives. But, can we have a relationship with God? All of us have a desire to have meaningful relationships. God made us that way. According to scripture, a relationship with God is the best relationship we could ever have in this life. This is good to know, but how can you or I develop a relationship with Him? Let’s face it. There are many people out there who wonder, ‘how someone is supposed to have a “relationship” with a being they have never met, can’t see, and have not heard?’ You've got to admit, this is a great question.

Lots of well-meaning religious folks might try to explain it by telling you that you can develop a personal relationship with God by “seeing Jesus.” Or, they might also suggest developing a relationship with God in the same way you first developed a relationship with your spouse, for example. They might even wonder how you could possibly see someone who is no longer on Earth, or date the God of the Universe. If you think about this way it does sound a little far-fetched, doesn’t it?

Let’s turn to an authoritative source, the Bible, and see if we can’t clear some of this up. Actually, the Bible provides some pretty clear answers. By the way, in case you were wondering, we trust the Bible because it's the only “spiritual writing” that has been proven to be true. So, the one way to get right with God is based completely on the Bible, not our opinion. Of course, this can easily be checked out by reading the Bible yourself.

Now, one might ask , “Why do I need Jesus?” Most people begin with a wrong view of their condition in relationship to God. If they believe in a life after this life, they think their own way of getting to heaven is “good enough.” Unfortunately, these beliefs measure these people against other people. None of these beliefs really explain those people’s condition when related to God.

The Bible tells us that every person is totally separated from God by a thing called “sin.” (Romans 3:23) Sin is simply disobeying God. Since God is sinless, He can’t stand sin, or people with sin (every one of us). We have to be perfect. The problem is that we can’t be perfect, it is impossible.

This is where Jesus comes in. God knew that there was no possible way that we could ever have any association with Him because of our sin. Knowing that we could not erase even one sin on our own, He loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus into the world. (John 3:16, 17). Since Jesus never sinned, He didn’t have to die. Still, He chose to die on the cross for the sins of all people. He became the “perfect sacrifice” for all our sins, and God accepted His death for our sins as payment in full! Therefore, Jesus became the “bridge” between us and God. It's only through what He did that we can have any association with God. (John 14:6). All we have to do is accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord and then live for Him.

Then, how do you accept Jesus? Believe in Jesus and put your faith in Him. (Ephesians 2:8-10). Repent of your sins. (Acts 17:30-31). Confess Jesus as Lord to someone. (Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:9-10). Be baptized. (See Acts 2:38-39). Okay, once you've done all the above, how do you stay right with God through Jesus? Many times people think that God is going to forgive their past sins, but after becoming a Christian, they can never sin again or God will reject them. But, this isn't the case at all. 1 John 1:5-2:6 gives the best answer. This passage describes people who are right with God, and explains to them that they will still struggle with and fall into sin at times. Hey, that's you and me!

Jesus paid the price for your sins with His blood, (if you are willing to accept His gift), so He will not stand between you and God—He allows you to stand before God. Look at it this way, the relationship we have with God is as His children—“adopted” through His Son, Jesus Christ. Ladies and gentlemen, this is one relationship that we can count on, for sure!

Prayer: O Lord, teach me to seek you, and reveal yourself to me when I seek you. For I cannot seek you unless you first teach me, nor find you unless you first reveal yourself to me. Let me seek you in longing, and long for you in seeking. Let me find you in love, and love you in finding. Amen

May God bless you,

Eve