Text – Ephesians 2:13 – “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ”
We are still on the series we started few days ago, “Intimacy with God”. Hitherto, we have talked about of time spent together, and constant heart-to-heart communication as ingredients that make for a close personal relationship with God. Today, we will conclude with the last two ingredients that make for a close personal relationship with God - Openness and shared interest.
OPENNESS
Wonderful and even miraculous things begin happening to you as you open up to God, and as you accept the Truth that God's power is present, available and real all the time, and that He is ever ready to refresh, revitalize and revive you in every phase of being.
Being open with God can turn each ordinary day into a deepening spiritual journey for you. This sounds easy, but to some people, it can be really challenging. There are three keys to developing openness with God:
1. You must see Him as He is—you must know His character.
2. You must see yourself as He sees you—you are His son/daughter.
3. You must be willing to accept His invitation to father you daily (That is, being open to Him; baring it all, and giving Him the allowance to get involved in, and as it were, take over every area of your life).
SHARED INTEREST
How would it be if you had a friend that you share no interest whatsoever with? In the same vein, you can’t get into a close personal relationship with God if you don’t have shared-interests with Him.
Matthew 16:23-24 "But He (Jesus) turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s”
Truth is, how intimate we will be with God is directly proportional to how much shared-interest we have with Him; that is, our alignment to His will and our commitment to His work.
This principle of shared-interest functions as a positive feedback mechanism. The more aligned we are to God’s will and the more committed we are to His work, the greater our spiritual ability becomes, to make right choices that put God’s interests ahead of our own.
PRAYERS
1. Lord Jesus, please help me to see you as you are and to see myself as you see me.
2. Lord Jesus, today, I accept your invitation to father me daily. I give you the allowance to get involved in, and as it were, take over every area of my life.
3. Lord, grant me the grace to make right choices that always puts God’s interests ahead of my own.