I have a relationship with God, the creator of every living thing. He’s my friend, my strength, my provider, my guide, and my teacher. I can’t imagine life without Him. He gives me purpose, peace, hope, and courage to face whatever comes my way.
Do you have a relationship with God, too? If so, that’s great! Make Him your first priority and your friendship with Him will grow deeper and sweeter by the day.
If not, keep reading. Having a relationship with Him is simple, really. Here’s what to do:
- Believe that Jesus is God’s Son sent to pay the penalty for your sin.
Sin is defined as anything that falls short of God’s standard of holiness (lying, stealing, gossip, adultery, lust, jealousy, envy, etc.) Every person on earth is guilty of sin. It separates us from God and is punishable by death.
God loves us so much that He doesn’t want to punish us for sin, but He’s holy and just and therefore must do so. He solved that problem by sending His sinless Son, Jesus, to the world to pay our penalty for us. He died by crucifixion—death on a cross—and was buried in a cave. Thankfully He didn’t stay there.
Jesus rose from the dead after three days, and in doing so, conquered the curse of death and purchased a place in heaven for all who will believe in Him. How do we do that?
We agree with God that we’re sinners who need His forgiveness. We acknowledge that Jesus paid our death penalty, and we accept the gift of eternal life that He offers us.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (JJohn 3:16).
- Live life as God says.
Our human nature is often selfish and fearful. We want to be in control of our circumstances, we want to do things the way we like, and we want to ensure our safety and comfort. Trouble is, we’re not so smart sometimes, and we tend to goof things up.
Thankfully God’s written a guidebook to help us navigate life with all its ups and downs, and to avoid the pitfalls that can hurt us. That guidebook is the Bible, and it’s loaded with instructions for how to do life well. He includes instructions for marriage, parenting, finances, work relationships, our thought life—you name it, it’s there. He wants our best, therefore He lays out the plan for our success. What happens when we do life His way? He reveals Himself to us so that our relationship with Him becomes richer and deeper.
It’s a never-ending cycle: We love and obey Him, and He reveals Himself to us in amazing ways that leave us more in love with Him and more willing/eager to trust and obey Him.
Jesus said, “Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them…All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them” (John 14:21-23).
Life is too short and the after-life is too long to waste. God created you and me for relationship with Him now and forever. It’s amazing to think that He loves and values us so much!
How will you respond to Him today?
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