True: constant, legitimate, real, genuine
Love: a deep and tender feeling of affection for or attachment to; to delight in; to take pleasure in; to gain benefit from; without payment
Relationship: the quality or state of being connected, a continuing attachment
Continue: uninterrupted existence
A Genuine uninterrupted pleasurable connection with God.
Thought:
Relationships in Life: Two Categories: Outer Circle Inner Circle
Take a moment and think about all the relationships in your life. If we were to all sit here and write our relationships out on paper we would notice that most of us would arrange them in two groups. You would discover that some people would be on the outer circle, those are they that you hardly see or even consider really having a relationship with them because they don’t really know anything about you or you about them.. Then you have those who are really close, who know you sometimes better than you know yourself. Those that know intimate secrets and thoughts that you have; those are they in the inner circle.
These are the two extremes, but there are many circles in between. Now here’s the tough question: into which circle does God belong? Is God someone who you know little about or someone so close that sometimes it hard to tell where God stops and you begin? Where does God take residence in your life?
Can you really love someone if you don’t even know her or his name To truly love people you need to know them. Knowing someone’s name is a good start, but getting to know the person behind the name takes time and effort. Knowing the name of God tells us something significant about Him, but How can we really get to know all about God and who He is? And how can we come to know Him on an intimate, personal basis?
God pursues a love relationship with each one us. He knows us and he wants us to know him. It’s all over the scriptures. In John 17:3 Jesus is praying to the Father that we might know him. In Ephesians 1:17 Paul prays the same prayer that we might know God. This is relationship. God has given the spirit and the spirit gives wisdom and power; for what? Not first for service, but so that we may know God better, because that’s where life is. If you take the whole bible and divide it relationally, Genesis 1 and 2 deals with humanity created in right relationship with God. The rest of the bible up to Revelation 19 deals with the broken relationship between us and God and Revelation 19 on deals the restored relationship. So the bible is dealing with God restoring a relationship between us and him. God is pursuing a true love relationship with us. There is no guessing that God really loves us the fact that He gave his son as a sacrifice proves that John 3:16. But do we really love Him?
Yeah it is basic, but do we live our lives as if a relationship with God is the central thing in our lives. That’s what its about. It’s actually experiencing God. It’s not about the right kind of theology about Him and having that theology is what’s going to shape our lives, we have to have relationship. In love, God has chosen to reveal Himself to us. He wants us to know not just that He exists, but who he is. And, he wants us to know Him not just as some Supreme being but as loving Father who cares for His children and wants to have a living relationship with them. The most important thing that we need more of is not money or power, even though some more money would be good right about now. But its true love for God.
How To Develop the Relationshp
1. Believe (Romans 10:9,10)
2. Get to Know God: Reading His Word (2 Timothy 2:15)
So if we want to know God we must go to His written Word that He has revealed to us, for our instruction. The same Holy Spirit that inspired the Word of God continues to work through the Word to bring us to faith, to help us know and understand God, and to keep us growing in faith. You can’t get to know God and mature in your faith unless you are regularly meeting with Him in His word.
3. Pray (Communication) (I Thessalonians 5:17; Philippians)
Our relationship with a person must be grounded in conversation. The more we speak together, the better we come to know each other. The same holds true to our relationship with God. We have to open up our ears minds and hearts to God. In prayer we praise God for his love and care, and in through conversation we grow and are enriched in our relationship to God. Relationships are not one-sided. You heart is at peace when the person you love returns your love.
4. Praise and Worship (private and corporate) (All of Psalms)
When giving praise or proclaiming such statements like I love you, you mean the world to me, or knowing you has changed my life; it actualizes or makes real the true love relationship between the individuals. What happens when you begin to praise a person? They begin to feel good and in turn do more. Come on how much more do you think God would do in our lives if we just get out of ourselves, build a relationship and praise Him.
5. Sharing
God has called us to be ambassadors for him. The highest ranking diplomatic representative. When you begin to share, you begin to remember things that God has done for you, which will take you back to praise and worship and developing the relationship through that.
6. Fellowship
Not to forsake the assembly of our selves together. Productive private life, public power.
When two partners become one in true love, it is impossible to separate them. If for any reason separation occurs, true love is destroyed.
After you develop a relationship then you will begin to:
1. Please Him (Laying Down our lives)
Our efforts to please God arise from our love for Him. Because we love Him so much we will begin to want more than anything to please Him, even if it might involve some emotional pain. Sacrifice will become easier once he brings us to the point that we’re so deeply in love that despite ourselves, we really can’t help but do that which we know will please Him. John 15:13, 14; John 14;15 Laying down our lives means more than simply being persecuted. It means laying down our pride in such a way that we will not hesitate to admit we might be wrong in our opinions or actions.
Once we begin to fall in love with Jesus, more and more no act of obedience will be impossible. No task will be to great, no circumstance to difficult. Many times we as believers make up a whole lot of excuses or why we can’t do what God said. Lord this person did this to me or that person said this, or I’m not worthy. But if we just get to the place when we are in love with Jesus nothing else matters. Even when we do allow ourselves to operate in sin, you know sin is a choice we aren’t obligated to sin Romans 8:12. (Obligated – bound by contract or agreement ) but even when we do sin, God has given us the privilege of coming to him, repenting and moving on to do what he has called us to. (1 John 5:4)
When a true love relationship is in existence we will be at place where we’ll have no choice but to respond with gratitude and love (takes you back to praise and worship) of such intensity that we cannot help but change our ways in accordance to His ways. Because of our love for Him, we won’t want to displease Him. Christians also use this excuse Isaiah 55:8 (my ways not his ways) But after you have accepted Jesus the bible says Let this mind (Philippians 2:5; 2 Corinthians 2:16) You have to be transformed into the ways of God Romans 12:1, 2
Our love will be so deep that we won’t have to force ourselves to follow Jesus, we will adore Him so much that we can’t help but follow Him. (Proverbs 3:5,6)
2. Life circumstances become easy (eye of storm)
The storms of life will begin to seem much less threatening when we begin to get caught up in a romance with the Lord. Why because he is the eye of the storm, he is the center. It’s been said that the eye of the storm is the most peaceful and calm. So if the storms of life are raging, all we have to do is remain in the eye of the storm, meaning keep God our center and not let that which is happening on the outside infuriate us, and we shall have peace.
3. Love One Another
1 Corinthians 13 Love is so necessary that without it the rest of you life and ministry is in vain. It’s like kicking a field goal and your players are off sides, or making a winning basket after the timed expired, it doesn’t matter that it went in or is good, it doesn’t count. Me loving you does not mean I am going to pacify your wrong, because if I do that then I really don’t love you. Love will tell someone the truth even when it hurts their pride and feelings. But one must examine there motives, is what I am getting ready to say going to benefit them or am I saying or doing it deliberately to hurt them. And one thing we as people of God have to learn is that if you ruffle someone’s feathers, then you also must know how to smooth them out. What do I mean by that, I can’t just tear you down and not give you something that won’t build you up.
Conclusion:
Once you know who he is and recognize what He has done, it makes real your love, when done from the heart and not just lip service. See God is more concerned about the state of heart then he is about the external things you do. And if your love to hand for him is true love the it is well pleasing to Him regardless of whether it seem appropriate to an outside observer. In Mark chapter 14 Jesus was well-pleased when Mary anointed his feet with expensive ointment. Others saw it as a waste of money and she shouldn’t have done it. But Jesus know that Mary was acting out of a pure heart of gratitude and love for God. So it’s a matter of the heart.
