Our Relationship With God

Jeremiah 31:33-34- "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

In this statement God made through the prophet Jeremiah, we see a description of what it means to be Christian (in Hebrews 8:10-12 and 10: 16-17 this passage is referred to as a description of Christianity).

First God gave the promise: "I will put My law on their minds, and write it on their hearts," We can get a better understanding of what this means by comparing this statement with Romans 2:14-15, which says: "for when Gentiles, who do not have the law by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of God written on their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)" Here we read of those who naturally do what God wants them to do (as the general direction of their lives) It says that when they live this kind of lifestyle they are showing with their lives that God has written His law (His standard, His word) on their hearts and minds. This means it is now natural for us to do what God says. As I mentioned, this refers to the general direction of our lives. Sometimes Christians make mistakes. But when we do we confess out weaknesses to the Lord and receive His help to change. It's not our nature to sin, but to obey God. Philippians 2:13 says, "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." I once talked to someone who wanted to receive Jesus but was afraid he wouldn't be able to make the commitment God wanted him to make. (By the way, this person eventually did receive Christ.) If that's your fear I want to encourage you: God will help you do what He tells you to do. The moment you believe in Jesus you become a "new creation" (2Corinthians 5:17) and it becomes as natural for you to live for the Lord as it is for a healthy person to walk. The reason we aren't perfect is we still have to learn to act out this new nature that has been put inside of us. It's natural for a healthy human being to walk, but each of us had to learn to walk. In the same way it's natural for Christians to live the same life Jesus lived when He was on this earth, but we are learning how to live this type of life. It's like we are learning how to walk. It may look like an uphill battle, but don't worry: God is patient with us and He is here to help us. The Holy Spirit who lives inside of us is our Helper and He is ready to help us be all God has called us to be.

Next is the promise of a personal relationship with God (which I described in the last blog). This is seen first in the statement, "I will be their God and they shall be My people" and it is continued with the phrase, "they all shall know Me." It says here that the "greatest" and the "least" (in man's eyes) will know Him. This means every single believer has a personal, one on one relationship with God. You don't have to go through a priest or any other person to get to God; you have direct access to Him. You can pray and you won't simply be talking or going through some empty, dead ritual but you will actually be spending time with God. I encourage you to simply start talking to God just as you would talk to a friend. I also want to remind you to listen and let Him speak to you. You may not hear an audible voice, but God will speak to your heart and you will know it's Him.

Third God promised complete forgiveness for every single sin. Not only did God promise to forgive sin, but to also forget our sins! You may wonder how God could forget sins if He knows everything, but this is actually a promise to never hold our sin against us. As far as God is concerned our sin has been dealt with. Sin separates man from God, but that sins was wiped away when Jesus died on the cross and rose again. Now the door is open and everyone who believes in Jesus and calls on Him in faith will receive the things I have mentioned today and many other things I don't have the time to discuss. Do you have the relationship with God I have described in these last two blogs? It's available to every Christian. As you read these last two blogs have you felt God tugging at your heart, showing you your need for Him If so He is waiting with open arms for you to turn your life over to Him. In next week's blog I will share some things that will help you to grow closer to the Lord.