What does “a personal relationship” mean?
One cannot read the Bible and not understand that not only is
God a personable God but that He wants to have a personal relationship with us.
God created man for His glory but also His fellowship.
Just read Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd." or the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus points to the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields. He says do not worry because God takes care of them and will take care of you." (These are the two stories emphasized for children and preschoolers).In the garden, He communed with man daily. God does not NEED us as He is infinite nor is He lonely which again would be a sign of a deficiency in God. He WANTS to be personal with us!
No, He is not co-dependent! But He enjoys us and desires us to pray to Him, to
hear from Him, to be a Father to His child, a Groom to His Bride. A personal
God? You better believe it! Christ came to teach us that through His atonement,
His sacrifice, that we can now come boldly before the throne of
grace in prayer and receive help in times of need (Heb. 4:16). How do we come?
With confidence! To whom do we come? To “our Father”! (Matt. 6:9)
The following devotional is from Zondervan, based on Chapter two
of BELIEVE, which will be taught and preached on Sunday, September 18 at FBC Killeen.
Day 2: Personal God
KEY QUESTION: Is God Good? The God of the Bible is
the only true God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is the one all-powerful,
all-knowing eternal God.
But is He good? Is He involved in His creation? Does He love us?
Does He have a plan for us? Is He interceding and intervening to move the
events of our life and world toward His intended purpose?
Consider the following and decide for yourself.
A biblical character in whose life we see how much God is
involved and cares about His people is David, the poet, singer, shepherd,
warrior and king, who wrote and sang from a deep well as he journeyed through
life and encountered the one true God. David composed many of the psalms found
in our Bible. David wrote as a shepherd boy while gazing at the billions of
stars God created; he wrote while being chased down by King Saul; he wrote
while he was king of Israel; and he wrote as he was coming to the end of his
life on earth. The songs that David and the other psalmists wrote express their
personal and intimate relationships with God.
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit
and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out
and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my
tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you
lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me
to attain. (Psalm 139:1-6)
KEY VERSE I lift up my eyes to the
mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the
Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)
KEY IDEA I believe God is involved in and
cares about my daily life.
KEY APPLICATION: What difference does this make in the
way I live? How can believing this truth about God as a personal
and good God — not only in our mind (understanding) but also in our heart —
guide the way we live? 1. God’s ways are higher than our ways. We are tempted
to make frantic decisions because we can’t see our way. We can’t see around the
next bend in the road. God’s ways are higher than our ways, because he is
seated above on his throne. When we feel that we don’t understand God’s
instruction in his Word, we must remember that he sees things from above and we
don’t. (See Isaiah 55:8-9.) 2. God, who controls nature
and history, knows and cares about us. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus
conveyed God’s care for his children. These words about a loving Father paint a
vivid picture of a God who is not out to get us, but rather to redeem us. He is
not out to destroy us, but rather to restore us.
YOUR TURN
Why does Jesus want us to refrain from worry?
How does freedom from worry demonstrate confidence in God’s
provision and care?
Join the discussion and use hashtag #BelieveTheStory.
