Why Your Relationship with God is the Greatest Gift
Going to university terrified me.
I had done well in community college classes. I had chosen a school 20 minutes from home. I had amazing friends at my home church. And I was scared.
High school was tough for me, especially in terms of friendships. I was worried I would carry those problems into college. I've had crippling anxiety because of school before. I was worried that perfectionism would steal my joy.
Every morning, I wake up a little earlier than I have to, and I spend time with God.
How little I appreciated this habit before college. I read my Bible consistently long before I moved into my dorm. I listened to worship music. It was really good. But while I was at Gateway Student Conference in July, I heard God say to me, "this will be one of the hardest seasons of your life, but it won't be the same as other hard times. This time, you know I'm with you."
I know this couldn't be a time I neglected my relationship with God. So many things--friends, school, sleep--good things--would provide distractions. But if I let my time with the Lord slip, everything else would slip too. I would slip.
Why is dedicated time with God so important? My Old Testament professor (AKA my adopted grandpa) talked in class one day about personal time with God. He said that your one-on-one time with the Lord is the single indicator of how your relationship with the Lord is going. Not corporate worship, not a journal full of sermon notes, not the Bible verses you post on social media. Without personal time with Christ, the relationship is shallow.
One thing that changed my perspective on this was learning about the presence of God in the Old Testament.
Once a year, on the day of atonement, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies. There, he would meet with God. Simple enough, right? Well, there's a list as long as the arm of someone who has long arms. Every detail of that day had to be followed through or the high priest wouldn't be able to go into the Holy of Holies. He bathed seven times during that day. Because the presence of God was so strong, the guy could possibly die. Since the people absolutely could not go into the Holy of Holies on any other day or without all the ceremony, they tied a rope to his ankle before he went in so they could drag him out.
The presence of God was limited because the people's sins seperated them from God. They were spiritually dead--apart from Yahweh. This went on for centuries. From the tabernacle to the temple, there were dozens of rules concerning entering the presence of God. Separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was an inch-thick, 60x30 curtain that went from floor to ceiling so no one accidentally tripped into the breathtaking presence of God.
When Jesus died on the cross, that veil tore down the middle from floor to ceiling (Matthew 27:51)
The veil that a single person would be incapable of tearing, the veil that separated sinful man from the presence of the Lord, the veil that represented our death, was torn down the middle.
Jesus died and rose again because He loves you. He tore the veil because He wants a relationship with you. That's it. That's all He wants from you. John 3:16 doesn't say, "For God so wanted some slaves," or "For God so wanted some people to look good," or "For God so wanted to shame people..."
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
What I've learned through this semester is that intentional, set-aside time with the Lord is precious. It isn't a mark on a check-list of how to be a good Christian. It isn't an obligation we drag through to seem spiritual. It isn't a ritual with no meaning. It's a relationship.
Jesus so desperately wanted a relationship with you that He took your death. He lived a perfect life and was killed for it. But His resurrection raises you to life. Nothing you've done made you deserve His love. Nothing you can do will take away that love (Romans 8:38-2).
We do not have to cleanse ourselves to go into the presence of God; His presence cleans us. He takes our brokenness, our shame, our fears. His presence is literally with us. I cannot fathom anything greater than the gift of having a relationship with God. And let me repeat that it is a gift. We cannot earn that relationship. It's the most lopsided relationship. He loves us more than we can even imagine.
I can climb the mountains of this season because I know who is climbing beside me. I can eat a feast in the presence of my fears because I know who prepared the table. I can find peace and hope because I know He lives.
Because Jesus lives, we are welcomed into the presence of God without fear. Since we have this hope, we are very bold (2 Corinthians 3:12). This hope is an anchor for the soul, steadfast and secure, because Jesus went through the veil for us (Hebrews 6:19-20).
Your relationship with God should be your first priority because it's God's first priority. We can have absolutely nothing greater than a relationship with Christ Jesus.
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