Raise your hand if…

you get tired of certain “friends” only calling you when they need something.

Is this something you deal with?  I know I have dealt with it off and on for years.  And I’ve heard many others complain of this particular issue as well.  When things are great, you don’t hear a thing from certain folks, but boy oh boy… let them have a need that you’re able to fill and they’re ringing your phone off the hook.

Often times, people like that also don’t have time for you when you need them.  Ever notice that?  You have a crisis and could use some of their help and it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack, cause now they’re sure impossible to find.

It can be really frustrating to say the least.  Occasionally, you might even be tempted to simply quit being their friend at all, but something always stops you from going that far.  The next time they call with a need, you can’t help but go ahead and fill that need if at all possible.

Now that you’re sitting there thinking about how “Yeah!   It really IS annoying when So n So does that to me!”, imagine if you were GOD……..

God has to deal with this ALL THE TIME.   Literally… ALL THE TIME.  It never ends for Him.   There’s never a break from being taken for granted this way.   Can you possibly begin to imagine?

As I sat thinking about this I felt so sad and so sorry.  Sorry because I’ve done that to God myself in the past.  I’ve been that person who only prayed and spoke to the Lord when I needed something or was in some type of trouble.  I’m thankful that this is no longer “me” and I pray that it’s never ever “me” again.  I know how horrible being treated that way makes me feel and I would never want to treat my very Creator, my Father, my Lord and Savior so badly.

Folks, this is sin in one of it’s worst forms.  If this is something you do, then please realize it, ask for forgiveness and make a definite point to no longer take your very Creator Himself for granted this way again.  Spend quality time with the Lord your God.  He loves you dearly and wants to be more than your trouble fixer,  habit at the dinner table, or your obligation on Sundays.

He gives Himself freely to us and we should do exactly the same.

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Developing a Close Relationship With Jesus – Your New B.F.F.

Recently it was brought up at my church, and also the next day on Facebook, the question of “how do I develop a real relationship with Christ?”

Like any relationship we choose to have, it takes time.  A close friendship doesn’t happen overnight.  It happens slowly, over a period of time, as you get to know each other and as you live life, going through the good and bad times. We’d never dream of walking up to someone and just telling them we’d like to be their new B.F.F., so why would we think having a close, personal relationship with Jesus be any different in terms of how it starts out?

Jesus is totally different in who He is, because He is God. The one and only God who created our world and everything in it and because of that, He can be anywhere and everywhere at the same time.  He literally lives in the body of all of His believers. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a pretty awesome trait for a B.F.F. to have.  If you need Him, He is as “right there” as you could ever ask for a B.F.F. to be!  Not to mention, the most important part of having a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is the fact that He took all the punishment for every single wrong thing you’ve ever done, or thought about doing, and paid the price of that for you.  I’ve never in my life had a friend that would even consider paying the price for my every single wrong doing, never mind wrong thinking.

When you first start a relationship with Jesus, there are many things you can do to build the relationship into a close one.  Anytime you meet a potential friend you want to get to know them, and the same is true for Jesus.  You can do that by reading and studying your Bible.  Really get in there and get to know Him through the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  A lot of people I’ve talked to prefer reading the New Testament part of the Bible, but once you’ve read the Gospels,  it’s important to read, and study, in the Old Testament so that you can get a better understanding of what Jesus did for you (for us all) on the cross.

People often tend to view the cross as, “Oh yeah… Jesus died for my sins, so now I’m forgiven” and don’t really understand fully, or appreciate fully, exactly what that means.  When you read about the Israelites and all the things that they had to go through to become “right with God”, you’ll begin to have a better understanding and appreciation for what Jesus did for you.

If you have a hard time reading your Bible, it may be time for a new version.  My personal favorite is the New Living Translation (NLT), but other popular versions are the Amplified Bible (AMP), New International Version (NIV), and the New King James Version (NKJV).  There are many other versions out there that you may like, so use a Bible App, such as “YouVersion“, and test them out to see which one suits you the best.  Reading and studying the Bible on a regular basis is extremely important to building up a real relationship with your Savior.

Prayer is the most important part of building your relationship with Jesus.  Prayer is spending time with Him, talking to Him, and listening to Him.  It’s how we can let Him know how very thankful we are for all He did on the cross for us, and all He continues doing for us.  It’s a time when we can bring issues up that we need His help with, and our fears, hopes, questions, dreams, and requests.  It’s also a time when we can simply sit in His presence and allow Him time to “speak” to us.  It may feel a bit strange in the beginning, but in no time at all you’ll begin to treasure this time with the Lord.

Everyone is different, but I prefer to start my day out with Jesus through prayer and reading my Bible.  I feel it helps me to get my day started in the right mindset.  What you’re thinking is very important in the life of a Christian.  In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul tells us, “We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” (NLT)  You must begin to get control of your thoughts in order to mature in a relationship with Jesus.  Our thoughts end up being our actions.  The Bible tells us that, As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7  and in John 15:15,16  Jesus tells us – No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing;  but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.    You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed  you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.  (NLT)

John didn’t mean for us to become orange or apple trees.  In the Bible, when Jesus and the disciples used the metaphors comparing us to fruit bearing trees, they were teaching us that, like an apple tree bears only apples and not cherries, we as Christians should bear good fruit.  In Galatians 5:22 we see that good fruit is listed as being love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Galatians 5:16 tells us, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.  Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”  

As a new Christian, it’s important that you learn all you can about the Lord and what it means to be one of His followers.  James, who was Jesus’ brother, writes in James 4:4-10 ~  You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?  But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires.  As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”  So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Come close to God, and God will come close to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. 

When you became a Christian, you became a new person.  2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us ~ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  This is such an amazing truth!  You are no longer the old you, but instead are now His, and because of that, you are given a brand new life!

As you learn more about God and His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, you will be in awe of the incredible gift of LOVE that we are given.  God gives us a helper, in the Holy Spirit, who comes to live inside of you when you become a Christian and true follower of Christ.  Ephesians 4:21 – 24 tells us ~ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy. 

You have a new life, a new nature, and a new best friend forever (B.F.F.) – Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:1-2   Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. 

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Unbelievable

When many unbelievers hear the word “Christian” what do you think comes to their minds?  Someone that goes to church on Sundays and occasionally reads a Bible?  Someone who is sometimes nice, yet sometimes not, depending on their circumstances? Someone who is sometimes happy, yet sometimes isn’t, again depending on their circumstances?  Or maybe they think of someone who tries to tell them all the ways they need to change their lives for the better, yet is still someone who appears to be in some serious need of changing their own life?

James 1:22 (NLT) says: “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

God wants you to be a DOER of the Word and not just someone who hears it on Sunday while you’re in church. The best way to show the love of Jesus Christ is by your own example; the way you live and share His abundant love with others.  We can tell people about Jesus and His love for them, but if we’re not living differently than the rest of the people they know, they won’t have any reason to listen.

Would you even consider hiring a mechanic if he’d only read a book about working on cars, or would you prefer that he have at least some experience at working on them?  I’m betting that you wouldn’t even consider taking just his advice, on matters relating to your car, if he’s only read the manual and hasn’t gotten some experience in working on them. 

People in the world need to see Christians who live differently than they do. They need to see us living what we try so hard to teach them. And they desperately need to see some proof that choosing to follow Jesus Christ WILL impact their lives in a powerful way. Unbelievers need to see us helping those who are in need, not just living a selfish life where our own needs always come first.

These changes don’t happen overnight, no. But changes DO happen in your life when you begin to actually practice what you preach and do what you hear in church on Sundays. The Holy Spirit will work within you and transform you, leaving evidence that He’s been at work inside you when you make the decision to truly become a doer of His Word. The Bible calls it fruit. And people NEED to see some serious fruit in those of us that call ourselves Christians.

People saying that they’re Christians yet acting as if they’re unbelievers is crushing the hope, that some people have, that maybe there is a savior for the world. It is causing untold amounts of people to decide that they want nothing to do with the hypocrisy and lies.

This is serious business. We need to stand up and do what we can to make a difference for those that are looking to us to see this change that we, as Christians, say is available through Christianity.  We need to live in a way that proves that we believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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