be WITH Jesus
You will never grow up into Christlike maturity unless you are lovingly attached in an intimate relationship with God the Father and Jesus the Son though the powerful presence and work of the Spirit.
-Jeff Vanderstelt One Eighty: A Return to Disciple Making
Many of our relationships are based on what we do. Just as our vocations play a large part in defining us in our social settings, so too our gifts and ministries tend to define us in our church settings. But these pragmatic relationships can only run so deep because they are primarily a means to an end.
Some people have a pragmatic relationship with Jesus – it’s all about the ministry. But imagine a relationship with Jesus where you are in it for the friendship.
Jesus said, I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends. John 15:15
Being WITH Jesus begins by making the shift of identity. You were thinking of yourself as a servant of Jesus. Now you can think of yourself as a friend.
Jesus spoke of His relationship with the Father, as a template for our relationship with Him.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
John 15:9-11
Notice that the end result of abiding in Jesus is joy . . . that your joy may be full. This is the joy of friendship!
Take some time to reflect on the nature of your relationship with Jesus. Which of these best describes your relationship?
