How is Your Relationship with God?

Saints,                                                                                                             4 July 2011

How do we evaluate our relationship with God? Do we list certain characteristics or qualities we can measure ourselves against? In the military, every member is evaluated annually against certain qualities like how well they accomplish their primary duties, how well they lead people, how well they maintain training requirements, and so on. Maybe you have a list which you periodically measure yourself against to find out how well you are doing in regards to your relationship with the Father.

Scripture says to evaluate ourselves, even so, let’s ask God how our relationship with Him is according to His viewpoint. After all, our life is defined by the one true almighty creator God. Brothers and sisters, let’s ask God today to answer this question,

“Father, how are we doing? How is my relationship with You from Your perspective?”

Be careful here, as seasoned believers you may be tempted to answer this question quickly yourself. Don’t quickly blurt out an answer. Wait. Wait for His answer. Don’t conjure up your answer—supporting it with Scripture. No, let’s go deeper here than our own understanding, or our own knowledge base. We must do this. We must be connected to the Father as He desires—this is the only way to truly please Him. We were made for deep connection with God. It is out of this deep connection with Him that life itself—Jesus Christ flows from us to others.

The best life we can ever live is a life in which our heart is consumed with a deep love for Jesus Christ. Often, however, we settle for less—we settle for a Christian religion. We can fill pages with things to do in our Christian life. We can list many ways to be obedient—many activities to avoid. The danger is that we can reduce Christianity to a list of things to do and to avoid. Then Christianity becomes just like every other world religion. No, our faith, brothers and sisters is about a person. We need Jesus, not a list. Jesus Christ is the only way to God. He is the only truth. He is the only life. He said this Himself,

John 14:6 (ESV)
⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

As you wait for God’s answer about the condition of your relationship with Him, I suggest you read the following passage from E. M. Bounds regarding a danger in the church and ardor in our devotion to the Father. This passage is found in his book, The Essentials of Prayer, chapter three entitled, Prayer and Devotion,

“The very essence of prayer is the spirit of devotion. Without devotion, prayer is an empty form, a vain round of words. Sad to say, much of this kind of prayer prevails, today, in the church. This is a busy age, bustling and active, and this bustling spirit has invaded the church of God. Its religious performances are many. The church works at religion with the order, precision and force of real machinery. But too often it works with the heartlessness of the machine. There is much of the treadmill movement of our ceaseless round and routine of religious doings. We pray without praying. We sing without singing with the spirit and the understanding. We have music without the praise of God being in it, or near it. We go the church by habit, and come home all too gladly when the benediction is pronounced. We read our accustomed chapter in the Bible, and feel quite relieved when the task is done. We say our prayers by rote, as a schoolboy recites his lesson, and are not sorry when the amen is uttered.”

“The ardor of devotion is in prayer. In the fourth chapter of Revelation, verse eight, we read: “And they rest not day nor night, saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” The inspiration and center of their rapturous devotion is the holiness of God. That holiness is of claims their attention, inflames their devotion. There is nothing cold, nothing dull, nothing wearisome about them or their heavenly worship. “They rest not day nor night.” What zeal! What unfainting ardor and ceaseless rapture! The ministry of prayer, if it be anything worthy of the name, is a ministry of ardor, a ministry of unwearied and intense longing after God and after holiness.”

You might say, “What does the condition of the church have to do with my own relationship with the Father?” The church is greatly impacted by its individual members. If we as individuals are cold and distant from the Father—the church will be cold and distant.

We were created for intimate connection with God. Out of this connection flows a compelling desire to please Him, a passion to impact this world for Him, and the power to do so. Our individual relationship with the Father, made possible by the blood of Christ is the heart of our faith.

Let’s let God answer the question about our relationship with Him.

Father, forgive us for being satisfied with religious to-dos. They are not enough. Only You truly satisfy. Please grant each of us an intimate relationship with You. May we, like the angels around Your throne be raptured with You always. May our lives then, be spent for Your kingdom’s benefit. Amen.