Our relationship with Christ

Colossians 1:27-28 (NLT)

27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. 28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.

Paul, as a Jewish Rabbi, has been made a minister to the Gentiles and therefore he preaches to the Gentiles about the Good News of Jesus Christ whose glory is to be shared by all, not just the Jewish people.  He desires they tell everyone about Christ, sharing the message of salvation and redemption that comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Relationships are important to people. We often enjoy relationships with friends who have common interests. Relationships also allow us to open up to another and talk about things on our heart. When we know a person we know the extent to which we can be vulnerable and feel safe about expressing our thoughts and feelings. Good relationships are long lasting and even when separated for a period of time a good relationship will pull people back into a bond of friendship.

Healthy relationships have some of the following characteristics. There is support among one another, each encouraging the other for their well-being. There is active listening where each are heard when one is sharing something important and understanding is gained.

The most important relationship we can have is with Jesus Christ. In our relationship with Christ we find a friend who will listen to our hearts and never condemn us. For Christ suffered as a man and knows the heartaches we face. Jesus understands us, our temptations, our faults, our weaknesses, and our doubts.

Jesus is always willing to maintain a close relationship with us. It is often us who pull away because we quit believing in what Jesus has to offer. Jesus tells us He will help carry our burdens and so often we continue to carry them alone until we finally give up out of exhaustion. Jesus tells us that He is always with us, yet we forget to have the conversation with Him that is waiting on our heart.  Instead of always seeking to continuously learn from Jesus we often wait to last minute to cry out for help.

As long as you are alive, it is never too late to have a relationship with Christ or deepen your relationship with Christ. First you must acknowledge Christ as a friend, a savior and one who wants the best for you. As we walk with Christ in our relationship with him we learn to repent of our sin, so we first must have a willingness to repent. As we grow in our knowledge of Christ we want to put away those things that are bad for us and replace them with the good things Christ desires for us.

If you know Christ already, continue to develop your relationship with Him. If you don’t know Christ, invite Him into your heart. It is through Christ that we grow spiritually and come to know the goodness of God. It is through Christ we gain salvation and eternal life with God in heaven because of our relationship with Him.