L03 – Our Personal Relationship to God
"The whole of life after surrender is an aspiration for unbroken communion with God." - Oswald Chambers ("My Utmost for His Highest", Sept. 13th)
Introduction: ( Heb_4:10-16 )
If there is any subject that has a direct relationship to our personal private choice, devotion, sincerity, honesty, loyalty, etc. it is this one.
This area of our life is personal and private. We can have from no devotion to complete devotion to God within our hearts and on the surface, to others, there is no difference.
God knows everything that goes on inside. Those around us only know what they see. We can go through life fooling others, and even ourselves, but not God.
Therefore taking ownership, responsibility, and accountability for our personal relationship to God makes all the difference in the world to Him.
Our desire to be the way He wants us to be is the only driving force behind our making this relationship right, especially after we have taken advantage of the free pardon offered to us by God through Jesus Christ's offering on the cross.
It is easy, after the pressure is off, to rest in His love and forgiveness and not do any more than is necessary to make it into heaven. It is possible for us not to work at seeing to it that God has His proper place in our hearts and lives, and not making certain that from the inside out, we are pleasing to God.
So, the benefit that God, us, and ultimately others will receive from this discussion, or any discussion for that matter, depends entirely upon us and our personal relationship to God.
God is not looking for perfection in us, He knows we will fail. He is looking for a heart that is bent on pleasing Him. He is looking for us to always come back to Him for forgiveness when we fail ( 1Jo_1:1-10 - 1Jo_2:1-6 ) and get right back to living to please Him and abiding in His Love. ( Joh_8:29 ; Joh_15:10 ; 2Co_7:10 ; Phi_2:5-13 )
David: A man after God's own heart: 1Sa_13:14 ; Act_13:22 ; 1Ki_15:5 ; 1Ki_15:3
A good example of the type of heart attitude that God is looking for ( outside of Jesus ) would be David, son of Jesse, King of Israel. As illustrated in the scriptures above, God saw something in David's heart that pleased Him.
At the time that God ( through Samuel ) made the statement "a man after His own heart" he ( David ) was tending sheep. Not a job anyone would think would be a precursor to being king of Israel! But God was not looking for what we humans look for. The qualifications God looks for are not those we look for.
If we ask God to have His way with us, God doesn't need anything from us, except a willing heart. He can provide all the rest. A heart bent on Him; focused on pleasing Him. A heart who's goal and delight is God's pleasure. ( Joh_8:29 ; Joh_15:10 )
So it wasn't what David did for a living that qualified him in God's eyes, but the state of his heart. For those of us who desire God, there is no greater goal in our lives than pleasing Him ( Joh_8:29 ) and there is no other thing that God looks for in us other than a heart bent on pleasing Him. ( 2Ch_16:9 ) We become one with God, ( Joh_17:20-23 ), and are shaped and molded into His image as our heart unites with His. ( 2Co_3:18 )
In David's early years as a shepherd he spent many hours alone. He took advantage of that time to develop his relationship to God, rather than do what other young men might have been doing. He spent his time learning how to play musical instruments and singing and writing songs of praise to God. He was known by others to be devout to God and a praiser and worshiper of God. Long before he was king, he was chosen by king Saul to play for him to lift his spirits. ( 1Sa_16:18-23 )
David's Joy, God: Psa_122:1 ; 2Sa_6:12-15
I wonder how many of us (if we are really honest) share David's zeal and pleasure for going to church. With all external pressures removed and we could do whatever we choose, would we choose to spend it in His presence, with His people?
David didn't care what other people thought about how he worshiped. He unabashedly stripped to the bare minimum, humbling himself before God and man, and danced his heart out for joy before the Lord. Now that is getting serious about your worship! In response to some criticism from his wife over his actions ( 2Sa_6:20-23 ) , he said his worship was to God and before Him, and not to impress anyone. He wasn't going to let what others thought keep him from expressing his appreciation and extreme joy to God for what He had done for him and for the nation of Israel. After all, Israel was the only nation on earth that had God's covenant and presence with them. They were highly favored of God and David wanted to show all Israel his appreciation for that, and he was being an example and encouraging them to do the same.
David genuinely loved God and put his whole heart and soul into the relationship. He personally knew him and cared very much how He felt.
He began very young in his life, in the field as a shepherd, by choosing to set his heart on the heart of God.
David's joy was whatever made God happy. If it made God happy, it made David happy.
Conclusion: Ecc_12:1-14
We determine the quality, depth, extent, and even the existence of our relationship to God. It doesn't just happen. We determine the place He has in our lives. We choose who comes first in our decision making process. We choose to love God, and build and maintain the relationship. God has every intension and desire to have a proper relationship with us. On His part, there is no debate. If He wants it, do we?
It is being kind to even suggest that this is optional. It is, but not without consequences. We failed God. We were doomed to spend eternity in hell, separated from Him forever. We decided to take God up on His offer to come back to Him and get a second chance. Jesus gave Himself so that we could.
He purchased our freedom and gave us back our place as children of God. He gave us a place in eternity with God to be forever with Him. His blood was shed instead of ours. He took the rejection of God against Himself instead of us. He went into hell instead of us. He paid the price, not us. His blood purchased our freedom. We belong to Him now. Our life is no longer our own. ( 1Co_6:19-20 ; 1Pe_1:13-23 )
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