It's a relationship, not a religion

This brief message is my encouragement to those Christians who are still struggling to develop an intimate relationship with God, as I was a few years ago. I must say, I was already reading the Bible every day. I just want a deeper relationship. During that time, I measured my relationship with God primarily by how much I did and how much effort I put into building that relationship.

I have a list of things I should accomplish to please God, such as finding a suitable spouse for my son or bringing more financial support to various ministries, all of which are considered doing for others and for God Good thing. The problem with this list is that God is not directly involved in the process. I might feel happy that I completed all the checklists, but the process didn’t build relationships.

I also set aside a certain amount of time each day that I call “prayer time.” I would be so happy if I could carve out more special time with God through this type of spiritual pursuit. What I'm describing is a religious pursuit of taking your relationship with God to a higher level, by working hard and, if you don't reach your goal, trying even harder.

Do you see God as a goal or God as a father and friend?

By God's grace, as I continued to grow in knowledge in His Word, I realized that trying to create an intimate relationship with God cannot be accomplished simply through religious pursuits of one kind or another. In my heart, I longed for a real relationship where I could see God as a father and a friend.

The breakthrough came when I realized that every day's unfolding was a good time to pray. I find that situations like going about my daily tasks are opportunities to have conversations with God.

There was a time when I took three commuter trains to work. I actually enjoy these long train rides because it’s the time I spend with God, talking to Him (quietly in my soul) about various life things and issues. Sometimes, when I face special challenges at work, I ask God to give me more insight, wisdom, and patience. Sometimes I just close my eyes, meditate and think about the things that are weighing on me. When I see an accident on the road, I ask God to give grace and help to the people involved in the unfortunate event. I began to understand that any place and any time is the right time to communicate with God!

I often write articles and publish them in some Christian magazines. I ask God to be a part of my writing process. If I get stuck for some reason, I pause to do other things, like take a prayer walk, or step outside quietly to be one with God’s Spirit. Almost every time I come back, I have a renewed insight and a fresh perspective to continue my writing. In these moments, I barely speak. I just focus on what God has revealed to me.

When I'm driving alone, I believe it's the perfect time to have a good conversation with God. I ask God questions to find answers. Or I’ll argue with Him about some tough decision that has to be made. I really enjoyed this process because it was so real and I started to feel God's presence. Sometimes I say, "From now on, I want to be silent and I want to hear your voice. Please give me inspiration or words of wisdom for today." I think you know what I mean. In other words, a close relationship with God can happen anywhere and at any time. We just need to be one with God. God should be the center of our lives.

Through this spiritual journey, I also realized that there were things that were getting in the way of my intimacy with God. For example, anything that comes from the spirit of the flesh (see Galatians 5:19-21), such as unrepented sin, a proud spirit, unforgiveness, etc., will sever a close relationship with God. Likewise, even if I share with others the success of my journey toward intimacy with God, I may become proud of it, which alienates me from my relationship with God. As a help, especially in times of obvious hindrance, I find that fasting and prayer together help me draw closer to God.

Through this spiritual pursuit, I have been blessed to be on a path to continue to develop a truly close and intimate relationship with God. Interestingly, I still feel the joy of the Lord in my life. The more joy I have in the Lord, the more I want to spend time with God. It's fun, energetic and never boring! It’s a beautiful journey that’s still ongoing.

References

[1] Matt Reffie's "Participation or Trophies" can be found athttps://www.projectarctos.com/archive/58/participation-or-trophiesfor further reading and related content.

[2] If you want to dive deeper into spiritual practices like this, consider signing up for one of our "Listening to God" online group sessions. You can find more information athttps://www.projectarctos.com/workshops-list/hearing-god-workshops.

George Kuo lives in southern New Jersey. He and his late wife, Linda, led marriage and relationship improvement ministries for many years, including authoring a best-selling book on marital intimacy, One Body in Marriage, which was based on biblical principles and their years of marriage experience . You can learn more about their ministry work and writings here:https://e-krc.org/article/oneness-in-marriage。自從琳達於2023年4月離世以來，喬治一直在他的老年居住社區以及其他地方分享他的信仰和悲傷之旅。