Relationship

​There are mornings when I wake up when I don’t want to read my Bible.  I don’t want to pray.  Surprised? No you’re not—‘cuz you have the same feelings.  Admit it. There are days we get out of bed and put on our selfish clothes, brush our selfish teeth, shave our selfish whiskers, eat our selfish breakfast, drive our selfish car so we can sit at our selfish desk to be consumed with all those thoughts of what we feel like doing the whole selfish day.  And we feel justified in skipping the time we ought to spend with our Lord.  Why?  Because we are busy!  And if you’d care to go deeper, because at the center of our gnarly bodies is a heart that pumps:  thump, thump, rebel, thump, thump, rebel!  It’s a whole lot easier to do meaningful work than it is to meet with an invisible Friend.

God understands this—after all He did make us. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. Maybe we need a reminder as to why God made us.  My wife knows I love her when I value setting aside time to strengthen our relationship by listening to her, sharing with her what’s on my heart and protecting our time from outside distractions.  If we are made in God’s image, is it possible that the inner need we have to be in a healthy relationship with those we love is a reflection of what God is looking for with us? 

The evidence that one truly knows God is not contained in the effort expended for His name.  The 11th-13th century Crusaders proved this quite effectively.  We make service a badge of honor when the real value is our relationship with our Maker. Think about it—what can we really do for GOD that He can’t already do Himself? We can love Him!  He cannot love Himself like we can love Him. 
 
Meditation
Ephesians 5:19--speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord,
 
I have never seen a flower put out breath-taking petals that didn’t have its roots embedded in rich soil.  Nor have I seen a father who didn’t thrill to the voice of the little child who climbed in his lap to say, “Daddy, I love you.” 
. . . and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love,  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.—Ephesians 3:17-19
 
Inspiration
The main thing about Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the atmosphere produced by that relationship.  That is all God asks us to look after, and it is the one thing that is being continually assailed.—Oswald Chambers in My Utmost For His Highest
 
©1998 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)