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Growing up, I believed that getting closer to God meant reading the Bible more and praying more. The only problem with that thought is that there were people in the Bible who had long prayers and were experts in the Law, yet those same people are burning in hell right now.
"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words." - Matthew 6:7 NKJV
"[How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites. You take away widows’ houses, and you make long prayers so that people can see you. So you will have a worse punishment.]" - Matthew 23:14 ICB
"Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." - Luke 11:46 NIV
Back when I didn’t have a relationship with God, I thought that memorizing the Bible and praying for long periods of time was the best way to guarantee a relationship with Him. I was wrong.
Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He also says, "No one comes to the Father, except through Me." Therefore, the only way to have a relationship with God is through honesty and transparency.
The truth is, I am currently living with a group of young adults that have given up their idea of how to do life because it never brought them the peace, joy, and love that God promises. By submitting every day to God, we are all finding more peace, joy, and love that Jesus promised us in the Bible.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises." - Romans 15:13 AMP
Jesus experienced peace because He only did what God told Him to do. How much peace would you have if you allowed God to lead you into every decision you made?
"You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You." - Isaiah 26:3 AMPC
Whenever we experience a lack of peace, we are also experiencing a lack of God’s presence. God’s presence and God’s peace are connected. Without God being present in the direction you are going, you will never experience His peace.
"Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you." Philippians 4:9 AMPC
We see in the scriptures that Peter left everything behind to follow Jesus. When Jesus asked if he would leave Him, Peter says, “We have nothing to go back to.” Was this because Peter didn’t have a family? Or was it because Peter saw that following Jesus and living to please God was the only thing worth living for?
"Peter said, 'Look, we have left all [things—homes, families, businesses] and followed You.' And He said to them, 'I assure you and most solemnly say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much in this present age and in the age to come, eternal life.'” - Luke 18:28-30 AMP
If living to please others was the answer, why are the prisons full, depression has become normal
, and divorce rates skyrocketing? The truth is, the disciples were just ordinary men, but they were completely honest about their life outside of following Jesus. None of them thought that living to please others was worth it.
There are several people in the Bible who have died for God — leaving kids, wives, and family behind because they came to the conclusion that the God that was worth living for, was also the God that was worth dying for. No other human being was worthy enough to take His place in their heart and in their life.
"But I do not consider my life as something of value or dear to me, so that I may [with joy] finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify faithfully of the good news of God’s [precious, undeserved] grace [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life]." - Acts 20:24 AMP
The truth is, if you want to take a step closer to Jesus today, be honest with who you are and where you are at in your relationship with Him. When we look at the sinner on the cross, I don’t believe the Bible ever mentioned him praying or reading the scriptures. What we do know is that he took accountability for the person that he was. Minutes before his death, he was honest about the fate that he should receive, and because of his honesty, he is in heaven with Jesus forever.
"One of the criminals who was suspended kept up a railing at Him, saying, 'Are You not the Christ (the Messiah)? Rescue Yourself and us [from death]!' But the other one reproved him, saying, 'Do you not even fear God, seeing you yourself are under the same sentence of condemnation and suffering the same penalty? And we indeed suffer it justly, receiving the due reward of our actions; but this Man has done nothing out of the way [nothing strange or eccentric or perverse or unreasonable].' Then he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when You come in Your kingly glory!' And He answered him, 'Truly I tell you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.'" - Luke 23:39-43 AMPC
Question of the day: If Jesus calls Himself the truth, why do you remain in lies, thinking you have a relationship with Him?