Are we talking TO Jesus or are we talking ABOUT Jesus?
Have you ever had that deeply moving spiritual experience when your eyes fill with wonder over God’s relentless and limitless love? It’s a moment our souls often long for -- to be overcome by his incredible grace and mercy. It's the moment our spirits are awakened to see the truth and the light through our savior Jesus Christ.
For me, I can vividly remember a few of my deepest encounters with Jesus. I can see myself at 14 years old worshipping on my knees and weeping over my brokenness and complete dependence on God at a weekend conference. I treasure this memory dearly because I knew God had shaken me and changed me that day.
You might consider this a spiritual ‘high’ but whatever you may call it, if you’ve experienced one yourself you know that God was directly speaking to you through it. I rejoice each day because my Lord cares about me and genuinely wants a relationship with me. And if I take that step of drawing near to him, He will carry out his promise and draw near to me. (James 4:8)
I can, therefore, be confident that God wants to talk to me. He wants to speak truth into my life, share who He is with me, and direct me in my walk to glorify Him.
The question that I would then bring forth is, do we genuinely want to talk to him?
It is so easy to get wrapped up in talking ABOUT God but never truly talking TO God.
Bible studies? Great. Church fellowship? Great. Devotionals? Great.
But if you’re constantly talking about God, and never taking personal time to talk to God, do you really know him?
Beware fellow followers of Jesus Christ. Don’t let yourself fall into this trap. While I love having Jesus talks with my girlfriends, the time where faith truly grows and where my spirit is fed is by spending time conversing with the Most High.
It’s a dialogue of praying, telling my Creator the matters of my life, and listening to what He speaks to me. You’ve got to plant your faith seeds in Jesus, and Jesus alone so that roots may grow.
In talking about Jesus and neglecting to talk to Him we actually undermine His ultimate greatness, power, and sovereignty while denying ourselves of the amazing and necessary opportunity of truly getting to know our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Believers, we are called to share the gospel with others. But we are NOT called to build our foundation on conversations rather than Jesus Himself. John 14:6 says, "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
If you are struggling with this today, there is hope. Challenge yourself to stay grounded in the word. Challenge yourself to take time out of your day to spend with Jesus.
Jesus loves you more than you could ever fathom. And like pastor John Piper once said, “God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in him.”
So take delight in building your relationship with God. Glorify Him in your conversations about God but don’t neglect your relationship with God. He is ALWAYS willing to listen and speak truth into your life. This is my prayer for today.
