Light of the World Today
Building Your Relationship with Jesus: What It Really Means
"And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
John 17:3 ESV
Let us start with something simple and completely honest. Building a relationship with Jesus is not complicated. It is not reserved for pastors, theologians or people who have been in church for forty years. It is available to every single person alive today. And what it means, at its most basic level, is this. You spend time with someone. You talk to them. You listen to them. You allow them to shape how you think and how you live. And over time, through that consistent, genuine and unhurried engagement, you come to know them deeply. That is what a relationship with Jesus is. Not a religion. Not a performance. A growing, daily, personal and two-way connection with a God who loves you and who genuinely wants to be known by you.
John 15:15 in the NLT records Jesus saying I no longer call you slaves because a master does not confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends since I have told you everything the Father told me. He calls you his friend. Not a subject to be managed from a distance. A friend. Someone he confides in. Someone he walks with. Someone he is genuinely interested in knowing and being known by. That is the starting point of everything that this series is about.
Three Ways to Build the Relationship Starting Today
Meditate on the Word of God daily
Psalm 1:2-3 in the NLT says they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. The Word of God is the primary way Jesus speaks to you. Meditation is simply taking one verse or passage and turning it over slowly in your mind until it moves from your head into your heart. Read it. Think about what it means. Ask God what he is saying to you through it specifically. Let it stay with you through the day. The person who meditates on the Word consistently is the person who becomes rooted, fruitful and stable in every season regardless of what is happening around them.
Pray always and wait to hear from him
1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the NKJV says pray without ceasing. Prayer is not a formal religious exercise you complete at a scheduled time. It is the ongoing conversation of a person who is continuously aware of someone they genuinely love and want to talk to. Tell him what you are grateful for. Tell him what is worrying you. Ask him for wisdom. Then stop talking and listen. Isaiah 30:21 in the NLT says your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say this is the way you should go. He answers. But the answer usually comes in the listening, not the speaking. Many people pray but very few sit quietly long enough afterwards to hear the response.
Sing praises and worship him
Psalm 22:3 in the NKJV says you are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. When you worship God genuinely, something happens in the spiritual atmosphere around you and within you. Praise is not only something you offer God. It is something that positions your heart in the specific posture of faith where his presence becomes most tangible. Acts 16:25 records Paul and Silas worshipping at midnight in prison. And suddenly the chains fell off. Worship before the breakthrough is one of the most powerful and the most counterintuitive practices in the Christian life. Start with his praises before you bring him your requests and notice what changes in the quality of your prayer time.
Building a relationship with Jesus is the most natural and the most rewarding thing available to any person alive. He calls you his friend. He wants to be known by you. He speaks through his Word. He listens when you pray. He meets you in your worship before the circumstances cooperate. Begin with these three today. Part 2 gives you the next three steps that complete the picture.
Memory Verse
"And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
John 17:3 ESV
Lightkeepers GC
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Key scriptures: John 17:3 ESV, John 15:15 NLT, Psalm 1:2-3 NLT, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV, Isaiah 30:21 NLT, Psalm 22:3 NKJV, Acts 16:25 NIV