“But it is good for me to draw near to God…” Psalm 73:28
Do you have a passionate relationship with Jesus Christ?
With two days until Valentine’s Day “love is in the air”. It’s around this time that I am reminded of the One who loves me more than any other person. The One who came to die for me and save my soul. I wish I could pursue Jesus as passionately as some people pursue their lovers. After giving it some thought… here are four things you and I need to have to pursue Christ and cultivate our relationship with Him.
4 Things You Need in Your Relationship with Christ
1) A decision
We must decide to cultivate our relationship with Christ. If we never make a conscious decision that we want to pursue Christ and get to know Him better, we may never get around to doing it. Just as a man decides to pursue a woman, in the same way, we must decide that we will pursue Christ and cultivate our relationship with Him.
2) The Desire
We always go after the things we are longing to have. We must be asking the Lord to increase our desire for Him. Without the decision or the desire, we may halfheartedly be seeking the Lord. Let’s ask the Lord to give us a strong, insatiable desire for Him.
3) Daily Time
To cultivate a strong relationship with Christ we must spend time with Him daily. This includes talking to Him throughout the day, taking time for private prayer, and reading His Word. Relationship grows through time spent together. We must spend time with Christ daily.
4) Dedication
After making the decision, asking for a greater desire, and walking daily with Christ, we must remain dedicated to our relationship with Him. Being dedicated to our relationship with Christ will keep us walking with Him even when we don’t feel like it. Dedication will keep us from making excuses and putting Christ on the back burner of our minds and hearts. Let’s stay dedicated to Christ and our relationship with Him.
I hope you know Jesus Christ personally and are passionately pursuing a relationship with Him. As everyone around us celebrates Valentine’s Day and the wonderful gift of love, may we remember the One who loves us the most. Let’s spend time pursuing the most beautiful relationship we could ever have… with Him!
I Would Love to Know
- Which of these four things do you need… the decision, the desire, daily time, or dedication?
- What can you do this week to add these four things to your relationship with Christ?
Amen! For me, I long to be more dedicated. In some ways, I am, and in others…not so much. Too often we let our pride or selfishness get in the way of a truly dedicated walk with the Lord.
Hope you have a joyful Valentines’ Day. 😉
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Yes!! I struggle with the dedication too. Somedays when I am tired or busy it seems easier to put time with the Lord on the back burner so to speak. Thank you for sharing!
Scripturally sound post, as always! 🙂Dedication is my struggle too (though it and daily time really go hand in hand because one causes the other.) I might really enjoy devotions on a given day and savor the thought of when I’ll be able to sit down again in the Lord’s presence (decision + desire) but then the next day gets started before I know it and it ‘seems’ like the reading should wait…
But appearances are deceiving! 😕 Our other responsibilities won’t fall into place without the foundation. My dad’s analogy was that to fill a jar with rocks and sand, one has to put the rocks in first and let the fine sand fill in whatever space is left.
As I thought about this just now I realized that there are some IMMEDIATE benefits (while others aren’t readily visible, e.g. growing spiritual maturity) to dedicatedly putting the Lord first in our actions + desires, and following through with our daily quiet time. His Spirit can equip us for the day, any sins can be cleared away to make room for joy and fellowship, and any unnecessary activities will end up left beside the road for lack of time.
By the way, I like how you chose 4 D’s, Rebekah… makes the list more memorable! 😀
Thank you for sharing! Your comments always help me too 🙂
I have heard the analogy of the rocks and sand before and it is so true!! Last night my Pastor’s wife made the comment that when we are really paying attention in our time with the Lord, that He often brings other things into our life that will build on what we learned in our devotions. So, that is another added benefit to being dedicated in our walk with God… What we learned in our private time can be built on by other things God will bring into our life. As a result, we will learn and grow even more. I hope that all made sense… It sounds right in my mind but is harder to put into words. Haha! 🙂
Thank you again for sharing… I love reading your comments and learning from my readers too! I’m glad the four D’s were helpful. I love alliteration… If I am creative enough I will try to come up with more alliterated posts! 😉
Yes! Beautiful post!!
I’ve been trying to spend more time alone with the Lord, seeking Him, praying, + reading His Word.
Could you pray for me that Satan wouldn’t discourage me from doing this? Some days are busier then others and I don’t always get to go to my room and have alone time, but i do sing + pray as I go about my work. 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement! ♡
Yes, I will definitely pray for you! Just know that I have the same struggles… So I can relate! 🙂
I definitely need the dedication! I could mark down a time for each day to cultivate my relationship with God! 🙂 Great reminder!
That’s a great idea! We could all improve when it comes to dedication!
This is a really good post! 🙂 I am going to work on the “daily time” point!
Good for you! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Definitely the desire one would be hardest for me! I can get so caught up in the things that are “more desirable” in my definition that I miss out on what God can do. All four tips are definitely a must for having a relationship with Jesus Christ!!
I can definitely relate. Thank you for sharing!! I will be praying for you!