Growing Your Relationship with Jesus Christ

Before time, God existed in three persons of the Trinity. He was perfectly happy. He did not need to create the Universe. Had He not created it, He would have been perfectly fulfilled. Creation dod not add anything to God’s nature. It was, however, a reflection of His nature.

He created all matter, all living things. He created light. He created everything needed for life to exist. Then he created the creatures of the sea and the land. He provided for their care. The world would have been complete without man. But God created Man to tend the earth and to watch over the animals. He didn’t need to but He did.

Only man was created in the image of God. Angels were not created in His image. Animals were not created in His image. We were created in His image and God desires that we reflect Him in our life.

Genesis 1:26–27 NASB95

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

If we are created in His image, then we need to understand God, as best we can, with our finite minds. To do so, we need to look into scripture where God reveals Himself to us. This gives us a clue as to our own nature.

But even through scripture, unless we are enlightened by the Holy Spirit, we can know nothing about our God. That is why so many people in the carnal world do not understand Christians and even despise Christians. They do not know God, or even recognize that He exists. Humans tend to fear that which they do not understand. They tend to disparage our beliefs. They want to snuff out His message, or at least bury it where it does not challenge the way they want to live.

As Christians, we are to take His message and bring it to the world. To do so, we need to grow in our relationship with him. As we grow in our relationship with Him, we acquire a deeper understanding of Him. In my walk as a Christian, as I continue to grow my relationship with Him, I see more and more his perfect love and His perfect justice.

It is easy to see His glory demonstrated in this natural world. It is not so easy for an unbeliever to see His Love, His mercy and His grace. The big question that confronts man is why does a loving God permit disasters to befall this world. We can only begin to understand this when we are in a relationship with Him.

Psalm 19:1–2 NASB95

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.

We need to pursue a relationship with God, as He pursues one with us. We need to grow close to Him.

When I first met Denise, I liked her. I wanted to get to know her better. Our relationship grew. It had ups and downs. But, as we spent time together, as we talked, shared meals, and laughed and cried together our relationship grew. Love grew. We were attracted to each other both physically and intellectually. But the important thing was the love that developed between us as we grew in our relationship with each other and in our relationship with God.

In the same way, we grow in our relationship with God by spending time with Him, talking with Him, sharing a meal with Him and laughing and crying with Him. We can do all this by reading His word, going to Him in Prayer, partaking in Communion with a fellowship of believers. When we are joyful, we share that joy with God. When we are sorrowful, we share that grief with God. Everything we experience in this life we share with Him!

Philippians 4:4–9 NASB95

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

The one aspect of God that fuels our relationship with Him and each other is love.

1 John 4:16 NASB95

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Because God is Love, then everything He does is a reflection of His love. Indeed, it was because of this love that Jesus came into this sin-filled world: that we may know Him and grow a relationship with Him.

John 3:16–17 NASB95

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

Whether we see it or not, everything God does is for our benefit, that we might know Him more and have a deeper relationship with Him. Even when we are disciplined, it is a reflection of His love.

Proverbs 3:11–12 NASB95

My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His reproof, For whom the Lord loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

Even unbelievers are disciplined by God, in an effort to turn hearts to Him. It is only when we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit do we begin to understand that the discipline we received was for our own good.

When I am visiting the sick and dying, I pray for healing.

But the healing that occurs is not necessarily that of the patient but that of the family that is gathered about. Many of these visitors do not know the Lord. They may believe that the dying will just cease to exist when the pass on. Their hearts need to be healed so they can be open to the draw of the Holy Spirit. God may have placed me in that very room so that a visitor may hear the Word and come to a saving knowledge of the truth and begin a relationship with God.

When I minister at a funeral or memorial service, there are people in attendance who do not know the Lord. The have no relationship with Him. I share the Gospel as clearly and as simply as the Holy Spirit leads me so that a heart may open to the Him.

What are the benefits of a relationship with God?

I can only begin to scratch the surface of the benefits of a relationship with God. The first and foremost is eternal life.

Romans 10:9–17 NASB95

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Once you begin your relationship with God, you are justified by your faith in Him and His promises. Justification means your sins have been covered over by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You will spend eternity in Heaven in the presence of God.

Romans 8:35–39 NASB95

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate us from His love, once we accept His free gift, honestly and completely. Nothing.

When life happens, as it inevitably does, we have a God we can laugh with and cry with. A God who has promised to be with us through everything that life throws at us.

Psalm 23:1–6 NASB95

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

God walks with us through Life encouraging us, guiding us, protecting us from the evil one, nourishing us, anointing us and finally taking us home to dwell with Him forever.

When we struggle, God is there with us.

Isaiah 41:10 NASB95

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

As we walk through this world, trying to live a life that God calls us to, we will be attacked. We see it more and more these days. Being in a relationship with God gives us the strength and the tools we need to remain faithful to Him.

Ephesians 6:10–17 NASB95

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

He is there holding us up, strengthening us, relieving our anxiety. When we face a serious illness or the death of a believer, he comforts us so that we might be able to comfort others going through the same thing.

2 Corinthians 1:3–7 NASB95

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

He encourages us with His word.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 NASB95

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

He wants us to know that death is just a transition to a better, more complete life. A life we cannot even imagine! He wants us to know that we will be together with all the believers who went before and those who will come after. Death is not the end of our human relationships: it is just a pause.

My cousin’s husband passed away on Thursday afternoon. Deanna, my cousin, and her husband were married for 50 years. They helped start an Evangelical Free church in Nebraska City, NE. David was dealing with Parkinson’s when he contracted Covid. He was in the hospital from the first of November until the end of December, when he was transferred to a group home due to the advancement of Parkinson’s. Deanna saw him for 15 seconds during the transfer.

One year ago, Deanna suffered a health setback. She was driving home from her daughters and suddenly did not know where she was. When she did arrive home, her health deteriorated overnight. When her daughter checked on her the next morning, she called an ambulance and was taken to the hospital. We thought this was the end. But she recovered, and now needs a walker and requires dialysis three times a week.

David developed an infection that ran rampant through his body a week ago. After a valiant effort by doctors, it was apparent that there was no hope for an earthly healing. He is healed now and in the presence of the Lord. Deanna has now lost her life partner. Without being in a relationship with Jesus Christ, she would be devastated. Of course she is mournful and has lost the fellowship of her husband. But, she knows he is in the presence of God and that she will see him again. She has hope. She is comforted by that knowledge.

Deanna can truthfully say:

1 Peter 1:3–5 NASB95

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We have another friend whose husband iwas in the hospital in Phoenix. They have been married for many years. They have two sons. His health failing, multitudes were praying for his healing. On Thursday, the wife and the boys were allowed to see him for an hour. Although sedated, the nurses reduced the sedation so he could awaken and interact with them. The doctors told his wife there is very little hope for recovery. She communicated to him that she and the boys will be ok if he goes home to be with the Lord. (That has to be the hardest thing to tell your spouse.) He went into the presence of the Lord on Friday. She knows she will be separated from her husband for a season. But, she has hope and comfort, the same hope and comfort Deanna has, that she and her husband will be together again. Both our friend and Deanna know what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 15:51–58 NASB95

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

Our toil is not in vain. God has our back. Jesus is our victory. The Holy Spirit is our comforter and our guide.

He will bring us home when our time is finished on this earth. He will protect us and lead us through our life until that time comes. He will laugh with us and cry with us, comfort us in time of sorrow and protect us in tomes of attack. We just need to put our faith in Him and His power to bring us through this life until the end.

Without a relationship with God, we are hopeless, lost and alone in time of despair and friendless in times of need. What a lonely life indeed.

Having a relationship with God, with Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit filling us every day gives us Hope, and hope does not fail.

I am going to close with a video that I hope expresses the life and hope we have in Christ Jesus, “Restoration” by SkitGuys.

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