There are so many elements of the Christian faith. We must grow in love, knowledge of Jesus, and love for each other. We are to feed the hungry, heal the sick, visit those in prison, cast out demons, and preach the good news to the whole world. We are to be loving parents and respectful children, good brothers and sisters, good leaders, good servants, slow to speak, and quick to forgive.
We are supposed to be growing in holiness and awareness of His presence. We must stay submitted in all areas of our lives and study His Word, worship, and serve in the church and the community.
I don’t know about you, but this list gets incredibly overwhelming. It feels like a whole lot of doing, yet we know it is about relationship. Some if not all of these things feel like insurmountable tasks and if we are doing them the wrong way, they will suck the life out of us, and we will fall flat on our faces.
So, the question is: is there a way to grow in all of these things while just doing one thing? I believe there is, and that one thing is intimacy. Spending time with Jesus and getting to know Him better. Could it really be this easy? We just wake up in the morning and turn our minds straight to Him. Whether it is five minutes or 2 hours is this the first thing we do every day? Not social media, or texts from friends. No news or internet shopping. Not even sermons.
No matter what my to-do list is I find that what I really need is time with Him. God says start a ministry and my first step is to draw closer. If I feel convicted about my anger, then my solution should be to sit with the One who is slow to anger. If I don’t have enough money to pay my bills then shouldn’t I work this issue with the God who holds every resource?
Could it really be this easy? No matter what the issue or project or hope or desire, the answer to it is to grow in intimacy with God. Not because we want Him to do things for us but because He is the good thing. We aren’t meant to do anything apart from Him. Life was quite literally designed for Him so why do we try to do things without Him?
Are you having a good day? Spend time with Him. Is it the worst day of your life? Spend time with Him. Are you celebrating or mourning? He’s the One to do it with. Trouble loving Him or your neighbor? Huge project on the horizon, being led to study humility, wanting to grow in healing, prophecy, hope? Same place.
Are we religious? No. We have a relationship with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We are invited into an intimate relationship that takes time and effort. It takes vulnerability and surrender. It takes showing up, hitting our knees, repenting, laughing, and crying. It takes scheduling and spontaneity. Yes, He will ask you to do things. He will ask you to be in community, forgive, read the Bible, pray for things and people, be under authority, start ministries and businesses, worship, be friends with that person you don’t like, be humble, and serve, but let Him lead you into them and do them together.
This is something that I have blown it at over and over again. I put the checklist before intimacy and then I don’t have what it takes to complete the list. Why do prayer and Bible study fall off the list before other things? Here I am some days living by physical bread alone. I should be going to the One who speaks life and purpose into me both through the Bible and His currently moving lips. I will never get enough, I will never be satisfied with yesterday’s time with God.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:4-5
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