It takes more than one individual to have a relationship, and our Heavenly Father set it up this way. Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were still sinners, God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to offer his life for our sins. John 3:16(NLT) “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” There can be no doubt in our minds of God’s enormous love for us, because He gave His most precious treasure to save us all. He did this because He is a God of love, and He wants to have a relationship with those He loves.
God has made it very simple for us to come to Him. Romans 10:9-11(NLT) tells us, “9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” God made the first step in His desire to have a relationship with us. He gave us this planet and placed everything we needed in it, and most importantly, He gave his Son to save us from eternal death and darkness. The next move is ours. We must wake up and reconnect with our true identity in Christ. To do this, we must believe in our hearts that God resurrected Christ from the dead, and we must open our mouths and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
1John 3:1(NLT) states, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.” God’s children are set apart by Him. He makes us His very own, and He desires that our relationship with Him continually grows. In John 3:6, He tells us there’s a distinction in those that continue to live in Him. What is this distinction? It’s that those who continue to live in Him will not continue doing things that do not please Him. Instead, we will be motivated to remain close to God. Remaining close to Him means that we will make every effort to spend quality time with Him by reading His Word, praying and mediating on Him, and following the example of Christ.
James 4:8 tells us to draw close to God, and He will draw close to us. He already knows everything there is to know about us, but He wants us to know Him better with each passing day. In the Old Testament, He told Joshua in Joshua 1:8-9(NLT), “8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9, This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” In this passage, God tells us the positive results of studying, mediating, and obeying His written Word. If we commit to these practices, we’ll be successful at everything we do. God’s Word is the difference maker. It’s the truth that provides guidance for living, but His Word also tells us about the nature and being of our God, and this more than any other jewel, is the most valuable.
Hebrew 11:6 tells us that our God is a Rewarder of those who diligently pursue and seek Him. We should seek God’s wisdom, guidance, and instruction in everything that we attempt to do. He is the Leader, and we are the followers. We should never take matters into our own hands. Jesus Christ said in Luke 11:9-10(NKJV), “9 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” God is worthy to be sought, and we should pursue Him continually. If we do, we’ll always find Him.
Get into God’s Word. Every time that we attempt to know more about Him and to be in His presence, we are rewarded in some way. Jesus Christ knew this and stayed in the presence of God. He prayed and studied God’s Word continually. He didn’t teach the disciples about his own opinions on righteousness. He taught them the truth of God’s Word. He said only what God had spoken, and this gave them life and prepared them for the road ahead.
In John 17:19(NLT), He prayed to the Father and said, “And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.” This is what God’s truth does. His Word sanctifies us. It cleanses us and makes us spiritually fit to stand before Him with no sense of guilt, sin, or condemnation. Jesus Christ is our example. He’s the living Word of God. Because of what God accomplished through the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ, He has made us righteous. Our responsibility and privilege are to preserve this by living the truth! It’s to wake up every morning with the absolute intention and commitment to spend quality time with God. This is how Jesus Christ lived. He stayed close to our Heavenly Father by spending quality time with Him, and we must do the same. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“Spend Quality Time with God”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.