Relationship for Relationship's Sake

We often have many reasons to seek God:  we have a problem in life we can't handle, we need guidance in our life, we feel an obligation to our parents or someone else important, we are afraid of what might happen if we don't, we seek Him for physical healing, we are interested in knowing more things about Him, to be free from an addiction, to fix a relationship in their life, or to get them out of pain but often what seems last on the list is simply to know Him for the sake of a relationship with Him.  After being in professional ministry for over 15 years I have seen people who have sought God for all the reasons above and honestly I have seen very to little of anyone who has sought Him for the last reason.  I include myself in that assessment, I should also mention that you can seek God on the behalf of others but still that is not seeking Him because He simply is worth knowing.  I sensed the Father speaking to my heart, an impression inviting me into a Father/son relationship to truly know Him.  I quickly realized, I don't know how to do relationship for relationship sake.  There always seems to be a purpose, an agenda, something that needs to be talked about or done, or taught or learned, etc...  Could it be true that the God of the Universe is inviting me (and you) into a relationship where the highest purpose is one of simply and fully knowing one another.  This truly is the core of love (and especially covenant love), which is two parties freely giving themselves to one another without withholding.  In Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. "  God invites us to seek Him by faith and even states that He is a rewarder of the one who goes on this journey to seek Him.  It was amazing to read in a devotion that the Hebraic way was a focus on developing a heart toward God versus the Greek way of thinking which was the study or knowledge of God.  In other words the Hebraic way was toward relationship with God and experience, rather than what is more common today which is knowing about God through discipleship.  It was hard to admit that my purpose and motivations for seeking God were not simply for relationship alone or a desire to really know Him.  I find that some of my motivations were coming out of an unrenewed mind that was conformed to the pattern of an old nature (which is now been done away with "in Christ"), this is what Romans 3:11 states "THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;"  I can distinctly remember a time where I felt condemned in my conscious for not seeking God and then the Holy Spirit took me to the verse in Romans 3:11.  What I began to see is that no one sought to know God for who He really was prior to Christ, we would seek Him for our own selfish reasons.  God is the One who brings life and resurrection from death.  God had resurrected from all my selfish (death) motives, a genuine desire to seek and know God for who He is.  In Hebrews there is an amazing declaration of the New Covenant, in chapter 8 verses 10- 12 "FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:  I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.  AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, 'KNOW THE LORD,' FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.  FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE."  This is an amazing declaration of the New Covenant that all will know God, He will write His law upon their hearts but this is not the Ten Commandments but the law of liberty (law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus -Romans 8:2).  God is inviting us into this wonderful new relationship with Him based on all that Jesus has done on our behalf, in seeking Him will be rewarded.  His Word does not say that we will be more religious, stressed about messing up, or totally self-conscious because we have to do everything right for God to be pleased.  He is inviting us into a relationship where God brings all the strength, wisdom, power, and we simply bring ourselves (including our weaknesses, problems, pains, failures, and character flaws).  It is the great exchange.

In His Amazing Grace,
Bret

Start out being Blessed!

I have noticed a general pattern in our society of how things are set up.  First you must perform and work hard to get ahead, then a reward may be given to you like a carrot at the end of a stick.  You basically are on your own to work hard and be good enough to meet the standard, then hope you did well enough to receive the reward.  Obviously this is the world's way but I believe this kind of mindset has infiltrated the Body of Christ.  Yet I see something very different when I see how God works through Christ in the New Covenant.  In Ephesians 1:3 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,"  As I look at this verse I see no condition based on performance for the reward or blessing (it has already been given "in Christ").  God gives the blessing and it from a place of blessing that we are empowered to live.  For example, so many of us as parents hope we are loving, raising, and disciplining our kids right but we wait to judge until the results come.  It is amazing to discover that God wants to reveal how great a parent He sees me as "in Christ" before I am done being a parent.  The blessing actually works in us and in our future to bring about the words of the blessing, rather than waiting to judge the end result and then reward.  Another example is that the Father blesses Jesus after He is baptized in the Jordan river before He has ever done any ministry.  If God waited to bless Jesus until He had obeyed, the blessing would have been for His obedience but grace is to bless to live out.  I believe that God thinks very differently than we have been taught to think, I believe His ways are better and higher.  Another example is that in Genesis 1:26-28 God creates Adam and Eve with the design of them ruling and taking dominion over the earth, then He blesses them to be fruitful and multiply.  I sensed the Holy Spirit revealing to me that fruitfulness and multiplication follow blessing.  This is 180 degrees from the world's ways but also much of our ways in the Body of Christ.  In blessing Adam and Eve with fruitfulness and multiplication, God knew that they would be because He blessed them.  God's design came in Genesis 1:26, the creation came in verse 27, and the blessing came in verse 28.  There is a specific order here and fruitfulness and multiplication did not come after their creation but after God blessed them.  I believe the blessing of the Lord is vital to us living in fruitfulness and prosperity for the purpose of blessing others.  God accomplishes what He wants on earth through His Word (mainly Jesus- the Word became flesh), but also as we agree with His Word and release it on the earth.  It seems to me that there are a lot of blessings in heavenly realms that God wants to be released over people and on the earth, yet we agree with so much curse or performance-based blessings that very little of the resources of heaven are finding their way to earth.  I pray the Holy Spirit would reveal blessings "in Christ" that He directs you to release over your family, friends, co-workers, and even over yourself.

Blessings,
Bret