RELATIONAL DILIGENCE

RELATIONAL DILIGENCE

This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God. —Zechariah 6:15

But without faith it is impossible to please God; for he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. —Hebrews 11:6

This is not some haphazard, occasional, when I feel like it I will follow the Lord type walk. No, instead there is an attentiveness, a devotion, an active faith in this “race marked out for us” as we keep “our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 1-2). As we obey Him, as we trust Him we will see those things happen that He desires and we will line up with them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIpnW3rtRQ4

What we do should be coming out of whose and who we are. The work of God comes from our being with God. Godly service flows from a godly relationship. Time with Him guides our works for Him, “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). We cannot divorce our relationship with God from our service to God. The one flows out of the other. James is very clear about this as well— “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” and “faith without deeds is useless” and “faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:17, 20, 26). The Apostle Paul said “that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20). Again, the outward manifestation of service should come from the inward transformation that is taking place through relationship with our Father through His Son Jesus and as empowered by His Holy Spirit. The gift or gifts of the Holy Spirit in action shows forth the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life and transformation takes place by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We need to spend time with Jesus for this transformation to take place. Even the Jewish leaders had some understanding of this “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

To accomplish the work of God a follower of Jesus needs to spend time with God to develop relationship with God to know the will of God. Then the follower can move forward with confidence fully assured in the direction God desires him to go. If those who profess Christ do not start here then they are living in their own strength and that is futile.

Dear Father, I am grateful for Who You are and for Your love for me. There is nothing greater than this. Please help me not to be caught up in what the world thinks is important, but may I be caught up in what You say is of utmost importance. Help me to regularly sit at Jesus’ feet and listen. Then help me to go forward in Your Holy Spirit’s strength to be and do what You desire that You would be glorified. May it be so!