Making your relationship with God a priority

Your relationship with God is the best, biggest, and most meaningful relationship you will ever have. We can all relate that life tends to get in the way of building an authentic connection with Him, especially with the overwhelming distractions at our disposal.

However, we now have access to tools (apps, books and social media platforms) that can assist us in our pursuit of connecting with God, which vivifies us to sedulously seek Him. Furthermore, our relationship with God flows into how we handle our earthly relationships.

Read: 10 Tips to get more from your Bible Reading

God’s approach to love

It’s moving how God approaches the concept of relationship because He advises that to love Him well, we ought to love His people.

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And He has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

1 John 4:20-21

Evidently, this shows us the magnificence of God’s multifaceted love – to be in good relations with Him; we must also ensure that we ably steward our relations with humankind. A conscious stewarding of relationships influences us to love and live peaceably with others.

God doesn’t necessarily want us to live in isolation, spending years solely pursuing Him. Granted, without distractions, you would pursue Him with more intent and discipline in seclusion. On the contrary, this method won’t train you to pursue God amidst the troubles of daily life, including people’s imperfections that come with all kinds of drama and disruptions.

Of course, this challenges your faith quest, causing your focus to split. God knows the challenges we must juggle while maintaining a nurtured relationship with Him. Perhaps trials amidst people teach us to lean (Proverbs 3:5) more on Him because we don’t possess His Almighty strength and knowledge in managing human relations or ourselves, for that matter.

Finding the balance

Finding the balance between your vocation and other responsibilities while remaining aligned with God is no easy feat. Perhaps you wish you had started earlier with exercising being disciplined in carving out your quiet time.

However, God’s grace is sufficient, and you can start now. It’s undeniable that re-starting and maintaining the habit may be difficult, so adding little motivators can help. You can use reminders or post-it notes encouraging you to draw nearer to your Father. These deliberate actions will indeed bless you.

‘All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.’

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Scripture is like a multipurpose guide that teaches us how to live in God’s will, instructs us on how to generally handle various affairs, corrects us when we are wrong, comforts us in times of trouble, gives us hope, encourages our faith and reminds us that we are not alone all while helping us abide in Adonai.

Therefore, any time you spend in scripture is not purposeless. Furthermore, God’s Word is a firm foundation that we can rely on to guide us in living righteously in our private time with Him and our fellowship with others.

The abundance that results in abiding

‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ‘

John 15:4

Finally, meditating on scripture and communicating with The Lord (through prayer), worshipping Him in song and praise can only give you access to the priceless abundance that one gains from abiding in Christ. The fruit of the Spirit is the byproducts of your relationship with God: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – Galatians 5:22-23.

Be assured that nurturing your connection with God has an unmatched ROI that includes the bountiful riches of Heaven that we all have free access to as sons and daughters of Elohim. Be encouraged, brethren. Make time to access the Throne Room. God awaits you with open, loving arms.

For more inspiration, read our daily devotional, The Word for Today or listen to our podcasts in iono.fm.

Written by Dineo Phadimenyane.

The views expressed herein are that of the presenters and not Radio Pulpit.