Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Taking your relationship for granted?

John 7

The challenge of familiarity is that you can tend to take your relationships for granted. Relationships are something that need constant work. Whether it is a friendship, spouse, child, or the Lord we need to keep our relationships fresh. It is very easy to become so familiar that we miss the wonderful gift that person is to us.

Jesus was familiar to his brothers. He was the eldest. They had known Him their entire lives but because He was their brother, they could not see and nearly missed the gift that He was to the world. (After His resurrection His brothers were listed among the believers.) Sometimes it is hard for us to believe that those closest to us are really an amazing gift. The relationship becomes common and we miss the very value God has in them and for us, through our relationship. It took the miracle of resurrection for Jesus’ brothers to see it. Look around you! Really see the people the Lord has placed in your life. Ask the Lord to show you or remind you of their value and how very blessed you are to have them in your life.

We can take our relationship with the Lord for granted as well. Malcolm Muggeridge, was a famous journalist in the 20th century who had a radical conversation after and interview with Mother Teresa. He made this observation, “There is nothing so deadening to the soul as the continual handling of the outside of Holy things”. The religious leaders of Jesus day had gotten so caught up in serving God that they had forgotten the God they serve. The Lord God Almighty was standing in their presence and they had no room in their hearts to receive Him because they had their religion to maintain.

Christianity is all about relationship. We have and maintain religious traditions to help us to remember the relationship but when those traditions get in the way then what becomes our God? Is God still God or are our religious traditions God. What leads us and guides us, God or our traditions? Jesus was attempting to awaken the religious leaders to the truth. They had become so focused on their traditions that they had forgotten about maintaining their relationship. Understand, God is not about striking people with lightening because they are confused. He is patient and loving. He is the all-powerful God and He draws people to Himself He does not force them. Jesus was gently attempting to open the eyes of the religious leaders.

There are times when we can get so caught up in a belief or tradition that we can’t see God, we only see what we believe. We can fight for a cause so hard that we miss the Lord we started fighting for. I believe that is the histories of the crusades, the reformation, and in modern times we have see that in regard to the abortion issue and issues regarding homosexuality. People have fought so hard to preserve their belief and their desire to honor God that at times they have gone overboard killing people in the name of Christ. Rather than loving the people the way God loves them, they end up driving them more into their sin.

It was popular a few years ago and in some ways has become cliché, to ask, “What would Jesus do?” As cliché as it may be, if you ask yourself that question, it may keep you free of misguided religion and keep your relationship fresh.

There is so much love the Lord has for all of us. It is in our human nature to try to create systems with which we can reach God when in reality He is always reaching out to us. Allowing Him to love you will keep your relationship fresh and remind you of your value to God. Do the same with all of your relationships. Stir up the love again. Giving love always has a great return.

Tomorrow John 8

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