After we get saved and have been “born again” everyone tells me that I should have a personal relationship with the Lord.  Well, what does that mean?  How do I have a personal relationship with my Lord - someone I cannot even see?   

Yes, He is Holy, and pure and without sin and I am not. While not everyone is a child of God, Jesus extends the invitation to become one to all. I pray for everyone to know what it is like to be a child of God, to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and to experience the forgiveness and love of the Father. 

So when we get saved does that mean that we are perfect from that time on? NO!   So how can I have a personal relationship with a Holy, perfect and sinless Savior, while I am not perfect?
 
This personal relationship with God is not as hard to find as we might think, and there is no mysterious formula or incantations for getting it. As soon as we become children of God, we receive the Holy Spirit, who will begin to work on our hearts. 

Oh, you mean we are a work in progress? YES!
 
We should pray without ceasing, read the Bible, and join a Bible-believing church; all these things will help us to grow spiritually. Trusting in God to get us through each day and believing that He is our sustainer is the way to have a relationship with Him. Although we may not see changes immediately, we will begin to see them over time, and all the truths we are taught in scripture, will become clear.
 
Having a personal relationship with God begins the moment we realize our need for Him, admit we are sinners, and in faith, receive Jesus Christ as my Savior.  God, our heavenly Father, has always desired to be close to us, to have a relationship with us.

I don’t know if you know it or not but before Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis chapter 3), both he and Eve knew God on an intimate, personal level.  They walked with Him in the Garden and talked directly to Him! This was God’s plan for us.  BUT…….due to the sin of man, we became separated and disconnected from God.

What many people do not know, realize, or even care about these days, is that Jesus gave us the most amazing gift—the opportunity to spend eternity with God if we trust in Him.
 
 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
 
God became a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ to take on our sin, be killed, and then be raised to life again, proving His victory over sin and death.
 
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). 

If we accept this gift, we have become acceptable to God and can have a real relationship with Him!

Those who have a personal relationship with God include God in their daily lives.  They pray to Him, read His word, and meditate on verses in an effort to get to know Him even better.  Those who have a personal relationship with God pray for wisdom (James 1:5), which is the most valuable asset we could ever have. They take their requests to Him, asking in Jesus’ name (John 15:16). Jesus is the One who loves us enough to give His life for us (Romans 5:8), and He is the One who bridged the gap between us and God.  So, when we are saved: We have God the Father, Jesus the Son who died on the Cross for our sin and the Holy Spirit working in us.
 
I want to encourage you to know that there is something better still for you, you have not yet received the full reward   You who are beginners in this new life, for now you are a new creation.  You may not know what God has planned for you, yet there is something better still for you.
 
I can tell you that over the years I have people tell me that all humans are children of God and it does not matter which religion (if any) we follow.  Doesn’t that sound so cutesy and fuzzy, and comforting; but that is not what the Bible teaches.  Yes, we humans were made in God’s image with a moral compass that sets us apart from the animal kingdom, but the Bible makes it clear that we are NOT all His children.  Actually, in Ephesians 2:3 we are told that before we are saved we were called children of wrath.  There is that sin nature that is hostile to God, and that is why there is so much hate for Christians. Jesus told the religious people of His time that the devil was their father John 8:44 and we become children of God only when we are born again of His Spirit  (John 3:3) and it is only then that we can call God “Father” (Romans 8:15).
 
The Bible leaves no room for homemade religion.  We can’t pick and choose what we want to believe.  So we are going to have to pray for clear vision so that we may know where to stand and what to stand for or we shall fall for anything.
 
You will have happier views of heavenly things as you climb the hill in your spiritual experience.   As you abide in Christ your confidence will begin to grow in the Lord.

Just as when you are an infant and you begin to grow up, it is the same in our spiritual lives when we abide with the Lord,  Of course, there are those in this world who do not ask,or seek or knock of their Lord.  There are many who keep away from Jesus who do not pray to Him . Their attitude is “che sera, sera, whatever will be will be!”
 
You see a true relationship with the Lord can best be described as when we fall in love.  

Have you or a friend ever fell in love with someone special? You can’t stop talking and thinking about the ‘love of your life‘. 

That is what it is supposed to be with each of us and Jesus.   He is now the love of our lives. Yes, Jesus loved us so much He went to the Cross for us.   In todays’ language we would say He took the bullet for us.

If you don't have a personal relationship with JESUS the Savior, why not start today.  Allow HIM to be LORD and the LOVE OF YOUR LIFE, you won't regret it!

There has never been a time when you were unloved by God.  I know many, many people do not believe that statement, but it is true.  God’s love is perfect, faithful, unconditional, forgiving, all-encompassing, pure, lasting, sacrificial, strong, enduring, refreshing, redeeming, everlasting, lavish, full, inspiring, hope-filled, gracious, and so much more. It’s never based on us, our abilities, or striving to ever be good enough. It’s found in Him, His character, and a huge capacity to give. It knows no boundaries and has no limits. There’s no place too deep that His love can’t reach us still. As the old hymn says:  “He can reach way down to pick us up.”
 
Over the years, He has cared for us, thought about us on a moment-by-moment basis, and never resisted the idea of loving us.  He has been willing to laugh with us, cry with us, and listen to us describe every detail of our lives.  When the world rejects you, God is your constant Friend who accepts you just as you are.   I know many times people see and think of God as an ogre with a heavy hand ready to knock us down but that is not the God of the Bible.
 
The problem we face is not God loving us, but how we love Him.  Do we truly know how to experience the love He has for us?  Can we accept the fact that He loves us unconditionally, and that the plans He has for our lives are ones that overflow with goodness and mercy and grace?  Think about this:  God does not withhold anything in loving us.  He gave everything He had to give when He extended His love to us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  His love is a free gift of grace.  All that we need to do in order to have this love is to accept it, claim it and cling to it.

So how do you perceive God?  Several years ago, a student in seminary class stood to his feet and announced to the professor, "I don't believe in God!" The professor, unraveled, replied, "Describe this God you don't believe in?" After the student had described an unlovely and vengeful God, the professor confessed, "I don't believe in that God either. My God is a God of love."

It is so difficult to describe God’s love. How do you describe a rose to a blind person? How do you describe Handle's Hallelujah Chorus to a deaf person? How do you describe the thrill of down hill skiing to one who has never walked? How do you describe the impeccable, infinite love of God to impure, finite human beings?
One of the most vivid characteristics of God is that He is a God of love. The Psalmist was descriptive in recording the love-nature of God. He stated that he was "abounding in love" (Psalm 103:8 NIV), "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His  love for those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:11 NIV), "As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:13 NIV),  "But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’S love is with those who fear Him (Psalm 103:17).  (The word fear as used here means to respect, to honor and to worship Him!)

The point is not simply that God "loves," but that He is love itself. Love is not merely one of His attributes, but His very nature. The Scripture says, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. (1 John 4:16 NIV). To say that God is love is not to imply that love is God. God is love means that God wants the very best for you. God has your best interest in mind. He wants to give you good gifts and provide you with "all His benefits" (Psalm 103:2, NIV).

God's love touches every part of our life. Nothing - no calling or circumstance, no adversity or advancement, no pain or promotion, no status or station - escapes the brush strokes of God's love. God's love bleeds into every fabric and fiber of our lives.  The number of times the three-lettered word "all" is used in Psalm 103 reminds us that God's love is all consuming. His love touches every area of our lives. There is nowhere we can go to escape His love. There is no problem that we will encounter that is not touched by His love. There is no advancement that we will make where God is not already there. Even when our world falls apart, we can say, "God, I don't know why this is happening. I don't understand it, but I'm sure glad to know you love me."

The Bible cuts through all the philosophical ideas and declares that God is a Person. As a personal being God is capable of loving and being loved. And as a personal being he loves each one of us intensely and personally. God's love is not simply for mankind as a mass. It is not a sentimental, vague, diffused feeling - something like Charlie Brown's attitude when he says, "I love mankind; it's people I can't stand." God really likes individual people.

When Karl Barth, the famed German theologian, visited the United States, a reporter at a dedication service asked: "Dr. Barth, what is the single most important truth you have learned as a theologian?"  Barth replied, "The most important thing I have learned is this: 'Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.'"

"Jesus loves me" is the central pronouncement of the Christian faith and the cornerstone of the nature of God.  When God says I love you, He is saying that you matter to Him!

You are a person of worth. 

You are valuable to Him.

Regardless of what others think, in His eyes you are wonderful.

Have a Great Day and Remember...God Has Always Loved You!