A genuine relationship with Jesus Christ - 12th day in the Lent

Does our Lord really want to have a relationship with us?

• Love can determine the strength of a relationship. In the Bible, we read '... God is love' 1 John 4:16

• Genesis 5:1 says '..When God created man, he made him in His likeness.

• The Lord was telling to Israelites, 'I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.' Levi 26:11,12

 These references depict the Lord's love for us.

When do we feel a gap in our relationship to the Lord?
     Even though God is love, we feel hard to experience His genuine relationship with our sins like disobedience, pride, jealous, bitterness,lying, anger, evil plots.. Jesus Christ is the best role model of having the genuine relationship with his Father.

The Father and the son Jesus Christ relationship:

 In John 3:16, 'For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.' This shows the Father's everlasting love and faithfulness to the world.

 In Phil 2: 6-9, 'Christ Jesus who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men.And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.' This depicts Christ's love of obedience for our sake in order to fulfill the father's will.

 Matthew 3:17 behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” The Father testifies  about Jesus Christ.

 John 5:19'..For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.' John 12:49 'For I have not spoken on my own  authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.' This shows Christ's fulfillment according to the Father's will.

 John 14:21  'And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.'
 John 12:45'And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.' These words reveal their union and oneness between the Father and Jesus Christ.
 
How can we enjoy the genuine relationship with our Father?

• Let us confess our sins to the Lord.'If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us'.( 1John 1:8)

 Pro 28:13 'Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.'
 we have now been justified by the blood of Jesus Christ.So there is no condemnation about ourselves.we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

• Let us desire to love Him with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength. 1 Chronicles 28:9 '.. for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. '
• Let us meditate His word and wait in His presence.
• Let us obey to His words 

Matthew 6:24-27 'Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.'

• In John 17 Jesus prayed, 'I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.'(v.4) We have understood that we also need to glorify His name and need to fulfill His will in our life.
• Jesus wants us to be sanctified with His word . We can see in John 17:17 'Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.'In John 17:20, He prayed,'...for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me'. These words expresses his longing for us to abide in Him.

Prayer
Dear Father, Help us to express our love for you through our deeds and words in Jesus name we ask.  Amen.

Memory verse:
             John 15:5
 'I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.'

shared by Sis.JebaJohn  

03-03-2015