“That which was from the beginning,  which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—...”

The devotional this morning is getting at the idea that our walk with Jesus, our relationship with Him, is personal, individualized, unique to us...it is like any other relationship.  It asks that we consider our own relationship with Jesus - how is my relationship with Him?  Do I give Him enough of my time?  Do I think on Him enough?  Do I act on His advice?

One thing that it often is difficult for newer believers to appreciate is this nuance about Jesus - that He is personal to them.  It is hard, and I get it, because when else have we had a relationship with someone we can’t see or touch?  A few people have probably tried this a little with a parent they’ve lost, or a friend, but for most of us this is a completely foreign idea.  It isn’t a very transferrable process either, meaning, how you even go about getting started is unique for most of us.  That being said, there ARE a few things that seem to be true for most of us who would say that we DO have a relationship with Jesus.

(1) We read our Bibles.  It isn’t just that we read commentary on the Bible, or that we just study the Bible deeply, or that we seek to learn about the history of the Bible, etc...it is all of that.  But, it is also that we do this regularly.  Spaced repetition helps with learning.  It is also a part of a good relationship - time together, day after day, year over year...it adds up.  15 minutes a day for 10 years is a total of over 900 hours of reading and studying!

(2) We pray.  This is the area where I am weakest in my ‘spiritual game’.  This requires time alone, in quiet, with a clear mind, listening.  That’s right, LISTENING.  I am not talking about time when we throw up the ‘please help me with x’ prayers, but the times when we get the words out and we are able to hear God.  Prayer and sitting still, quietly.

(3) We fast.  Fasting isn’t just going without food for extended periods of time.  That’s usually the Bible context, granted.  In reality though, fasting is just a period of time of abstention...you can pick the terms.  The point is, it is an intentional time of applying discipline to our lives to get better and to listen to God.  Fasting for the sake of fasting can be productive, but fasting and using it as a time to convene with God, to put prayer or Bible reading or stillness into the place of that thing being quit is a great use of fasting, and a great way boost our relationship with God.

(4) We live in community.  We are accountable to a community of believers, like us, who are messed up, have crazy lives, and are trying to grow and to get better.  This can take all sorts of different shapes, but community is always a part of the equation.

Today I am reminded that our relationship with God is personal.  It is unique.  It requires intentionality.  We must prioritize it in our daily lives.  And we must continue to push ourselves to maintain that priority.