By Margaret Teo
How is your walk with our Lord? Is it lukewarm? Or is it close? How important is this relationship to you?
These questions never crossed my mind for many years in my Christian journey. I was a Roman Catholic from birth. It was only at the age of 40 that I understood the gospel and accepted Christ as my Lord. Today I am 81 years old.
The Good News
The veil in the Tabernacle was torn when Christ died on the cross. Today, we have direct and free access to God any time, any day, not once a year! Today we don’t need a high priest to intercede for us. Today we have no need for animal sacrifice because Christ was the ultimate perfect sacrifice. Just think about it: a fallen created being is now able to come into the presence of a holy and almighty Creator. Awesome!
With such an invitation from God offering his unconditional love, presence, and fellowship, wouldn’t believers joyfully and gratefully accept this privilege to spend much time with Him? Sadly, some of us don’t.
But it is impossible to have a personal relationship with God if we don’t spend time with Him.
In human relationships, a person is not close to us if he/she is a stranger or a mere acquaintance. We need to interact and spend time with him/her to know and develop a lasting relationship with him/her. Similarly, we must have time for God, not ad hoc, or once in a while but daily.
Reasons for Not Spending Time with God
(1) Ignorance
We don’t realise how beautiful and rewarding it is to have a personal and close relationship with our Lord.
(2) Lack of understanding
We don’t realise that to love God is to know Him through spending time in His word. To love a person, you have to know him. And God reveals Himself in the Bible. So the more we read and study God’s word, the more we see how much God loves us, and the more we appreciate and thank Him.
When we do our part seeking Him in his Word, He will revive and rekindle our souls with fire from above. (The song Revive Us Again is my prayer not only for myself, but for my loved ones too).
When we meditate and study God’s Word, the Holy Spirit touches our heart to diligently seek God and develop a love for His Word. Reading God’s Word will no longer be a chore. God’s Word is powerful. It convicts, it cleanses, and transforms us (2 Timothy 3:16) Here are some verses on why we should know God’s Word:
Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law
Psalm 119:11 Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.
2 Peter 1: 2 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour.
(3) Busyness of life
I am guilty of this too. Life can be so demanding and challenging. We have so many duties, commitments, schedules and deadlines. Moreover, the 21st century brings with it high tech gadgets that not only transform our lifestyle but also consume so much of our time.
(4) Worldly attractions and pursuits
We live in a world that largely does not know or love God. God warns us in 1 John 2:15 not to love the world and the things of the world. In His priestly prayer to His Father, Jesus reminded His disciples that we are not of the world though we live in the world (John 17: 14, 16).
Call to Abide
Christ stresses the importance of abiding in Him. In John 15, the words “abide in me” appear many times. He promises if we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit (verse 5); and His joy remains in us and that joy will be full (verse 11).
There are many ways to enjoy quality time communing with our Lord:
(1) Reading, studying and applying the word of God in your life. God reveals Himself and speaks to us in the Bible. The more we read and study God’s word, the more we see how much God loves us, the more we appreciate and thank Him. If you fall short of God’s standards, sincerely pray for His help. If you have been trusting and obeying, thank God and ask Him for grace to remain faithful.
(2) Opening your heart and talking with God (praising and thanking Him, sharing with Him your joys and your problems).
(3) Singing hymns to praise, thank, and glorify Him.
God’s Promises and Blessings
As we seek to know God and abide in Him, let’s be comforted to know that those who seek Him will enjoy His presence (Hebrews 11:6, James 4:8).
May we echo the words of these wonderful hymns:
“Create soul thirst for thee And hun’gring for the bread of life” (Revive Thy Work O Lord)
“As the deer panteth for the water so my soul longeth after thee” (As the Deer)
“Just a closer walk with thee, Grant it Jesus tis my plea, Daily walking close to thee. Let it be dear Lord, let it be” (Just A Closer Walk with Thee)