Five Essential Elements of Your Relationship with Christ
Communication – It is essential to communicate with others in our relationships. Without communication, it is impossible to have a lasting relationship. How can you ever get to know someone without communicating with him or her in some way? John 17:3 states, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.” The only way to get to know Christ better is by talking with Him in prayer. We must also be willing to listen to Him when He speaks to us. The problem with us today is that we are always on the go and we forget to stop and listen to the voice of our Lord. He is all around us, yet we continue about our daily lives while he waits for us to give Him some quality time.
Trust and Faith – Proverbs 3:5-6 states “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” How can a husband and wife expect 100% effort in the relationship if neither
trusts the other? Eventually each person will start to make assumptions about the other, which lead to accusations, which lead to arguments, which produce a break down in the relationship. Our marriage with Christ must also include faith and trust. Without them, He can’t intervene in our lives because we are not allowing Him to do so. If we don’t trust Him to supply our every need and have faith in His promises, He is not obligated to prove Himself because we didn’t believe in Him anyway. Bottom line: When we want or need something from the Lord, we must ask Him and BELIEVE He will do it in His will.
Obedience – We must obey the will of God in order for us to receive what he has for us. If we are disobedient, we will be punished. If all God asks us to do is tell others about Him, why is that too hard for us? If all He wants us to do is live an upright life before Him, why aren’t we willing to do that? We have to be ready, willing, and able to do whatever it takes to do His will.
Love – Love is the most important element for an effective personal relationship with Christ. We cannot say with conviction and certainty that we love God if we cannot also say that we love our neighbors, spouses, friends, families, our enemies, or ourselves. God is Love; therefore if God exists in us, we must also be Love. True love is not just an action, a
feeling, nor a thought. It is a combination of these things. The ultimate act of love as explained in John 3:16 is that God gave to us His only son as a sacrifice for our eternal life. Jesus suffered for our shortcomings and made no excuses for doing so. That single act of selflessness is enough to make us reverence Him all the more.
Growth – The relationship grows as each of the four previous essentials becomes stronger. If growth is stunted, you may need to examine and reflect on your relationship with Christ. Bringing your relationship with Christ to maturity takes diligence and patience. You may get weary and you may even want to give up, but continue to seek God’s face. Constantly talk to Him and allow yourself to be wrapped in His embrace and feel His awesome presence. Once you do this, you can count on Him to be there for you whenever you need Him and trust that He won’t ever turn His back on you.
Be Well.
Tanisha Lawson
Tanisha Lawson is a freelance writer living in the metro Atlanta, GA area.
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