Today's Christian lesson is on being alone with God, and communing with God. Earthly relationships are important, but in the grand scheme of things, everything on earth is ephemeral and fleeting, here today but gone tomorrow. If we have a relationship with Jesus, we are guaranteed eternal life with Him in Heaven.
No matter how many good friends we have, how many relatives, how close we are to our spouse, etc, the fact of the matter is that we are ultimately alone. "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19. The fact is that we are, ultimately alone. We will not take any of these earthly possessions with us up to Heaven. Six feet under the ground is all our bodies are really ultimately given. So the question then becomes, do you want to cultivate the one relationship which can survive, and thrive throughout this lifetime on earth and live on after your death? That relationship is the one you form with God, your Heavenly Father through Christ our brother.
When Christ died for our sins, the curtain which separated us from gaining direct access to God was torn apart and we were given direct access to Him through Christ. The responsibility for cultivating that relationship with God is ours and ours alone. When we do though, we gain direct access to the most powerful force in the Universe. The method of that access to Him is through Prayer. Daily and routine prayer then must become a part of the Christian's life. Prayer then, is direct communication with God through His son Jesus. How should you pray? That will be the topic of a future lesson. Stay tuned.
The rewards of this friendship will be eternal. This is not a fair-weather friendship which disappears when there is no advantage to be had (...and trust me, 9 out of 10 friendships are this way.) This is not a superficial relationship where the spouse moves away, emptying your house, taking everything you ever owned, drains your bank account, and disappears forever and is gone, and there is only regret and grief left. This is a relationship which will last forever and never end. However, the onus to cultivate this relationship is on you. You have the proverbial hotline to God through Prayer. Jesus made it available. How often you use it is up to you. Have you picked up the phone to dial G-O-D lately? When was the last time you prayed? How did it make you feel?
RSS Feed