Our relationship with God was broken by sin but God loved humanity and sent Jesus to restore it. To have a relationship with God, one must acknowledge they are a sinner separated from God, accept that Jesus as God's son died for our sins and rose from the dead, and personally invite Jesus into their life as their savior and lord. Developing this relationship brings meaning, purpose, and salvation with the promise of eternal life.

1. Our relationshipwithGod – 28th
November 2015
Do you have a relationship with God? If so,what is thatrelationship based upon?
A relationship with God comes from His amazingloveand grace reachingout to us.It’s always been God’s desireto
reveal Himself to us sincecreation as we can learn from Romans 1: “For since the creation of the world God’s
invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what
has been made, so that people are without excuse”(Romans 1:20). In the beginning, God desired an everlasting,
lovingrelationship with man. Adam was made in God’s image then chosen to wisely manage “everything that had
the breath of lifein it.” God provided Eve as a companion so Adam could experience an intimate union.But Adam
chose to disobey God’s command, producingsin which separated mankind from God which we can learn in
Romans 5:12,“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way
death came to all people, because all sinned—“. We were designed for relationshipswith God and also with
others who we come in contact with. Sin brought the breakdown of a relationship with God, resultingin sin and
therefore God’s judgment.
What does ittake to establish a relationship with God? We can learn this clearly in theBiblewhich explains how
we can personally begin a relationship with God, right now...The very firstthingwe must learn about our
relationship with God is that He loves us and offers a wonderful plan for our life. God not only created humanity,
He loves us so much that He wants us to get to know him within our lifespan and to learn to livein keeping with
His teachings that will enableus to spend eternity with him. We have read in John 3, " For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”(John
3:16). Jesus came so that each of us could know and understand Him in a personal way becausethrough the
development of our relationship with Him, Jesus can bringmeaning and purpose in to our lives.
The second importantunderstandingthat we should haveis that we have all sinned and thatour sin has separated
us from God. We can learn in Isaiah 53:6, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our
own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” As Christiansdeep down in our hearts, our attitude
may be one of activerebellion or passiveindifferencetoward livingin keepingto God’s teachings and his ways.But
importantly we must know that is what the Biblecalls sin. The resultof sin in our lives is spiritual death…a
separation fromGod. Although we may try to get closeto God through our own effort, we inevitably fail. Wemay
try to do good things in life,or earn God's acceptance through a good lifeor a moral philosophy. But our good
efforts are insufficientto cover up our sin.
The third understandingthat we need is that: Jesus Christis God's only provision for the redemption of our sin.
Through himwe can know and experience God's love and plan for our life. We deserve to pay for our own sin.The
problem is,the payment is death. This is the reason that Jesus Christdied in our place,so that we would not have
to dieseparated from God, out of his lovefor us. On the cross,Jesus was the atoningsacrificeand took all of our
sin on himself and completely, fully paid for it. He made a new covenant with us which is a new relationship He
desires us to have with Him: “ For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called
may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins
committed under the first covenant”(Hebrews 9:15). As we read above we must know that God gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall notperish but have eternal life.
As Christiansweknow that Jesus not only died for our sin, but He rosefrom the dead. When he did, He proved
beyond doubt that He can rightfully promiseeternal life -- that He is the Son of God and the only means by which
we can know God through a personal relationship with Him.That is why we can learn in John 14:6, "Jesus
answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’. Instead of
trying harder to reach God, Jesus Christtells us how we can begin a relationship with Himright now. In Matthew
11 we can learn where Jesus calls all of us who are down trodden and weighted down with sin,to believe and
come to Him and we will find restthrough Him: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest”(Matthew 11:28). We have another great promisefrom God which we can learn in John 7:38,

2. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” This is what
Jesus promised through the Holy Spiritwhich we can learn as we read further in the same passage.
The forth understandingis that in order to establish this newcovenant relationship with God as Christians and
others, who desireto do so,must individually acceptJesus Christas Savior and Lord. The Biblesays,"Yet to all who
did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
One may want to know as to the importance of this relationship with God.We can learn in Philippians 2:15,‘…so
that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”
Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky”.
Accepting Jesus means believingthat Jesus is the Son of God, who He claimed to be and then invitinghimto guide,
change and transform our lives.We know that we are weak and at times fall in to the hands of the “thief” meaning
evil.Jesus said,"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have
it to the full"(John 10:10).Jesus came to gives us salvation through himso that we may have lifeeternal. But as
Christianswemust remember that the decision is entirely up to the individual becauseJesus will notforce anyone.
He is there and we have to believe in Him and through faith “open the door for Him” to come in to our lives :”Here
I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with
that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20).
‘…so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a
warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the
sky”(Philippians 2:15).