Your Personal Relationship With God by Carol DeBlasis

Philippians 3:7-11 "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (NIV - New International Version)

Have you ever thought about how privileged we are to be acquainted with the Son of God? I mean, think about it: we did nothing to deserve this divine relationship, yet, just because we believed - Jesus Christ came to live in our hearts.

Considering all He did to allow us this right, it seems like a small price to pay for His presence! For us as believers, no other relationship, or material possession in our lives can compare to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord!

The amazing young man that delivered folks from demons, raised the dead, healed the sick and preached the Kingdom of God is our Brother! What an amazing blessing! So what’s holding us back from diving headfirst into this miraculous kinship?

Perhaps it is the busyness of life, the desire to make a fortune, a feeling of unworthiness, or that no one has ever taught us that we were allowed to be intimate with our Lord. But whatever the reason, we must be like Paul and cast every excuse aside and press into this divine romance! Over and over again He has invited us to take His yoke, taste His goodness and receive His Light. He’s willing, are we?

We should be so willing, in fact, that we are ready to count everything a loss compared to gaining Christ and to be found in Him! Our relationship to Him needs to be prioritized over our possessions and our relationship with husbands, wives, children, parents, siblings, friends and even Pastors!

Because when we give Him first place, all of our other relationships fall under the same grace, love and acceptance that we experience with Jesus! We become better stewards, spouses, parents, grandparents, employees and church members.

And when you think about it, He is the only One who will be left when money, husbands, wives, children, parents, siblings, friends and Pastors are no longer around! So why not spend the majority of our lives investing in Jesus, since He will be the only One waiting for us at the end of this long, long road?

With arms held open wide, He is the only true friend we will ever have. He knows the most disgusting secrets of our lives and loves us anyway. He is always available and immediately on the scene when we call on His Name. What other “pitiful issue” in our lives can take precedence over our relationship with this gracious Lord?

We should want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings. Our desire should be to become like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Worldly possessions and distractions should be cast aside in our pursuit of Christ’s power, love and humility! Oh to flow in the earth as He did: laying hands on the sick, loving the unlovable and sorrowing over the lost.

May we too glorify the Father at every opportunity and shine bright as the siblings of Christ!

We should be more than willing to do whatever it takes to know Him more and to be used to advance His Kingdom. After all, isn’t that what we promised when we originally invited Him to be the Lord of our lives? Didn’t we say “use me for Your glory”? Well, He’s here now to take you up on your offer. All He requires is to be the delight of your life and the very reason for your existence. Which is little to ask, considering that is exactly how He feels about you!