Our Relationship With God

In our youth group, we have been doing a Bible study using the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. The book is about our relationship with God. In one session, we talked about loving God and being in love with God and what that looks like. The students offered up some good suggestions, like getting up ten minutes early so that we could spend time in prayer and maybe even a devotional. On the surface, this is a great idea. And we certainly encourage our students to form healthy routines like morning prayer and reading of the Bible. It's a starting point and it moves the student beyond just coming to church on Sunday and maybe on Wednesday evening. Getting into a routine like that, even if it's only five or ten minutes, brings us closer to God. But, it's not enough. We have to move beyond the daily routine.

As we were discussing ways to grow more in love with God, and as the students were suggesting morning routines like praying and reading the Bible, God spoke to me and gave me an interesting and convicting analogy. So, I challenged the students and said the ten minutes in the morning with God is good, but let's look at an earthly relationship. I'm married, so I'll use my wife and myself as an example. I decide I want to show my wife how much I love her. So, I decide get up ten minutes earlier each day and spend ten minutes with her. I talk to her. I get to know her. I learn what she likes and doesn't like and I tell her the things I need and want. Then, I go about my day, go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch some television, do whatever I need to do around the house, then go to bed. Next day, same thing. Ten minutes with my wife, then the rest of my day spent doing what I need and want to do. And if you didn't pick up on it, the ten minutes I spend with my wife in the morning, is the only time I spend with her all day. What kind of marriage will I have if that is all I give her? Not much of a marriage. And what kind of relationship will we have with God if all we give Him is ten minutes a day? Even if that becomes habit and we do it everyday, how close can we really get to Him?

The students were a bit shocked at this. I think it hit home, so then I asked what else we can do. And one suggestion was that during the day, we should pray to Him more when we need to. Again, a good suggestion, and one that moves us beyond that routine relationship. But again, is it enough? Continuing my marriage analogy, I decide that the ten minutes a day is just not enough. Now, I'm going to call my wife during the day or talk to her during the evening every time I need something. During the day, I might call her up and say, “Hey, honey. Please stop at the grocery store. I need some more cereal.” That night at dinner, I might say, “Darling, would you please pass me the ketchup?” Later in the evening, I might say to her, “You know, sweety, we really need more money, so would you find a better job?” Is our marriage any better? I'm talking to my wife more. I spend ten minutes every morning with her. I talk to her other times during the day. I can't figure out why she just doesn't seem to appreciate our relationship.

We've moved from an obligatory relationship where we feel obligated to spend the first ten minutes of our day with God to treating God like a vending machine. Hey, I need this, so I'll drop in a prayer and out pops what I need.

Jesus said that the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. We need to be in love with God. What does this look like? Does it mean that if we are really in love with God that we must surrender to the ministry or become a missionary? Maybe for some it does. But not everyone is called to be a preacher or a missionary. The body of Christ is made up of many parts and each of us needs to find where we belong (Romans 12:4-6, 1 Corinthians 12).

Being in love with God really should be similar to being in love with another person, only more so. Like when we first fall in love with that person. All we think about is him or her. We want to spend our every moment with that person. We call, send gifts, text. We can't get enough. This is what God desires from us all the time. He thinks about us all the time. We should think about Him all the time.

Again, the students offered up some great ideas. For example, talk about Christ to others. When we fall in love with someone, we want to talk about that special person to everyone. Shouldn't we do the same with God? What about telling our friends what God has done in our life or what He means to us? Shouldn't we want to introduce other people to God? We do that with our close human relationships, and we should do the same with God.

Finally, there is the matter of obedience. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Back to the husband and wife analogy. If I truly love my wife, I will do the things that she asks me to do. I'll do the things that she wants me to do. Shouldn't the same be true of our relationship with God? We should do the things He wants us to do and asks us to do.

God wants the best we can offer Him. But often, the best we have to give, we give to others. We should give ourselves to others, but we have to remember what Jesus said when a lawyer asked Him what was the greatest commandment. Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39). Notice, the greatest commandment is to love God first, then others. Are we giving our best to God? That is true love.