Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Relationship Not Hoops

Why do you suppose many times we rush through each day with little time for God? We are motivated trying to get things accomplished yet miss what is the most important. We may feel overwhelmed with things, yet not pray. Our eyes are on the things around us and not see Gods hand in our lives. Do we sometimes think “Why would God help me in this situation?” It can be easy to believe “How could God really care about little ole me? He is big and holds the entire universe in the palm of His hand. He can’t really care about me now can He?”


But 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 diligently seek Him.
(Hebrews 11:6 NKJV)

But God wants a relationship with us. He is faithful and true. He is not some far away God who gives us a bunch of does and don’ts we must follow just because He can. He is a God we can fully trust. His commandments are for our own good, not just a bunch of hoops to jump through which rob us from enjoying life. Think about this, He created us to spend eternity with Him. He wants to give us the keys to His kingdom. He came down from heaven to earth to die for us. He paid our sin debt, a debt we could not pay. Let us diligently seek to know Him more.


I want to make one thing clear to anyone who has not trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, He is the only way you will enter into the kingdom of heaven. You must repent and put your faith and trust in Jesus.

14 comments:

  1. My relationship with the Lord grows sweeter with each year, and it seems to me that His Word becomes more clear as His second coming draws near.
    Thanks, Ken, for sharing the TRUTH!

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  2. Having a true faith is a huge leap for so many people. In my case, God allowed me to "do it my way" for many years until I hit bottom. It was only then that I saw that He is the only way. From that day on, my life was transformed.

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  3. THE way, THE truth, and THE life! Jesus Christ!!

    Great post-- walking in HIS way, in obedience, brings TRUE FREEDOM! :)

    May the Lord bless you today and always, Ken!
    Emily

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  4. He doesn't want our works, He wants our hearts. And once our hearts are His, then we want to "work" for Him. But the relationship must come first. Amen!

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  5. I am thankful that He does care about lil' ol' me!

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  6. Great post Ken!
    Prayer is the key to our relationship and sometimes we just forget to pray! I am getting better at this, but I still forget and then it's like, smack yourself in the head, you never even prayed!

    I agree with Clint that sometimes we need to hit rock bottom before we turn our eyes on Jesus. My husband had to fall hard on his bottom before he gave the reigns to Christ.

    Thank you for the lead on the book Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel.

    Blessings,
    <><

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  7. Yes, I value and strive for relationship over theology when it comes to my faith in Christ.I may not have great knowledge of theology or dispensations or eschatologies or other big words like that, but I strive for a close communion with my Heavenly Father.

    Great post as always, Ken.

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  8. Great words, Ken!!

    I've never been a good basketball player, so jumping through hoops will never be my strong suit! ;)

    I often tell my 20-something sons that God's laws are not arbitrary and restricting. They were written by a God who wants our best. They were given knowing that we could never fulfill all of them. And that is why He provided a way for us to be saved.

    He is gracious - and only in finding Him and following Him can we find true freedom.

    GOD BLESS!

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  9. This is a good way of saying it, Ken. Relationship, not hoops.

    Many tend to look at their relationship with God from the perspective of duty... having to do something. Not out of love or devotion. But out of a sense of obligation.

    Thank you for being straightforward and direct in your posts, Ken. No beating around the bush.

    Blessings,
    Lidj

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  10. The more my direction is pointed towards Him, the closer and more intimate I become with the Lord. Blessings to you Ken.

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  11. Thank you for sharing this with us. May the Lord continue to shine on you and your blog ministry. God bless, Lloyd

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  12. I have proved over and over again that the closer I get to the Lord, my relationship gets deeper and deeper and I go higher in Him.

    It is so exciting!

    Thank you for sharing Ken.

    Carole in the UK

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  13. I wish to thank everyone for stopping by and leaving your comments. I am truly blessed and encouraged by them.
    May the Lord bless you,
    Ken

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  14. Hi Ken -

    This is warm in content. The love for our Lord shines through this piece, Ken. Thank you.

    You expressed, "Let us diligently seek to know Him more."

    I wholly agree with that, dear brother in Christ.

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