A Personal Relationship with our Lord and Savior

Do you have a personal Relationship with Christ??? You heard me correctly, no not what your preacher or pastor or minister, but do you know him personally and have you discussed your present plight with him?   For me the question would be more like Reverend Henry, what is your relationship like with Christ.  I would have to say, I spend a great deal of time actually walking in the woods and around my place at night or down by the water just sitting sometimes on my front porch and looking up at his star admitting to him how I need him and praise him for all that he done for me.  My lovely wife says for her Christ has been a constant companion, one that she count on to be there for her and always listen to her, whether it be driving to pick up the kids or making dinner or a walk in the woods, She wait for that still voice to guide her through whatever storm she is going through.   What about you?

The dictionary defines "personal" is defined as "how something relates to or affects a person." With this broad definition, a person can have a "personal relationship" with anything that affects or relates to them ­ a dog, a tree, a flower, a bottle of beer, etcetera ad infinitum.


What does it mean to have a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ"?
Evangelical Christians have often proclaimed and explained that to be a Christian is "to receive Jesus and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." Many who have heard that proclamation have not been able to understand what evangelical Christians mean by that phrase. Is it possible for the non-Christian, the natural man, to understand or comprehend the meaning of that phrase?
The natural man can comprehend "religion" ­ how religious organizations function, how they solicit finances, how they utilize propaganda to get their message out. The natural man can understand rational assent to religious tenets, propositions, principles, statements of history, theology, and doctrine. The natural man can deliberate adherence to a belief-system, or devotion to an ideology or an organization. The natural man can understand "spirituality" if it is defined as the serenity of "well-being", or devotion to a meaningful cause, or the recollection of an ecstatic experience, or conformity to a moral ideal.
Is it possible for the natural man, the non-Christian, to understand what it means to "have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ"? The Apostle Paul explained that "the natural man is perplexed by spiritual things" (I Corinthians. 2:14). Is "having a personal relationship with Christ" a spiritual reality that requires the presence and appraisal of the Spirit of Christ to understand what it means? If so, is it possible to adequately explain the meaning of this reality to a non-Christian?


Do you need a better relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, I certainly think so.  Many of us might wonder how we can have it. Let me suggest three things: prayer, study and fellowship. 

Pray. Ask God to give you the joy of salvation. Ask him to help you know his love for you in the sacrifice and resurrection of his Son. Ask him to help you adore him, to know and feel his love for you. Ask him for faith in Jesus, and for his power to walk in his love.

Study. In this case, I suggest studying the four Gospels. Sometimes we study for doctrine and for commands regarding what we should do. This time, I suggest that we study simply to see what Jesus is like as a person. Get a feel for his love and compassion, his desire for friendship, his zeal for his Father's glory. Walk with him in the mountains, across the lake, into the city of his death. Meditate on it. Feel with him. Our lives are hidden in Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:3) — discover what his life is l

Fellowship. Our love for the Lord is expressed in part by our love one for another. Share with others the joy that you have in the Lord. Let it shine. In Christ, we will live forever with one another, with ever-growing love for one another. Let's express his love in us now! Encourage others, as often as we meet them (Hebrews 10:24-25). Treat others with the same grace and mercy that Christ has given us. Forgive them as he does daily for each of us and grants us new grace and mercy daily, though we are undeserving of it, yet he gives it to us because of our relationship with him.