Relationship With God

What does it really mean to have a right relationship with God? Why is it so essential, and why should we place it ahead of relationships with our spouse, family and friends? The answer lies in our eternity, and we need that to be in the right place!

What's On Your Bucket List?

As baby boomers now in our forties, fifties or early sixties, we're more aware of our future and how we have planned (or not) for it. Regardless of our marital status, our family status, or even our employment status, we still have certain goals and aspirations, things we want to accomplish and enjoy as we reach into the next stages of our lives. So, what's on your "bucket list"?
We know that life is a trip through good times and bad, and for some a real adventure. We're told to enjoy every minute of that ride wherever it takes us, because when it's over, it's over. In fact, we're told by some to live our lives with abandon - that when we leave this world, we should be like one banged up car and say, "Boy, what a ride! Did I get my mon- eys worth or what?" After all, we can't take it with us and there's no point in holding back! Right? Well, not exactly right. The fact is, there's a rather serious counter argument, telling us what the number one item on our bucket list really ought to be - a right relationship with God! It makes that "car wreck" advice the very worst ever!
It's absolutely true that we came into this world with nothing, and we will leave it the same way, except for one essential thing - our relationship with God. That we keep for eternity! Once our relationship with God is in place, everything else on our bucket list becomes secondary.

What Is A "Right Relationship With God"?

Church-goers hear this phrase on a regular basis, but it transcends all religion and certainly any ritual. First off, it means accepting that God is our Creator, in fact the Creator of all things, and that He sent His son Jesus Christ to live on this earth (the real reason for celebrating Christmas) for about 33 years. Even as the Son of God, Jesus was born on this earth some two thousand years ago to live as a true man, to experience - and overcome - all of the evils, temptations, and miseries that this world has to offer, including all of the things that we ourselves fall victim to everyday in our own lives.
The purpose of Jesus' first coming was testifying to the truth. His truth is that none of us can enter the kingdom of God (Heaven) without first accepting Him in our lives as our Savior. Christ overcame all evil on this earth by living a perfect life without sin, the only man ever to do so, and He overcame death by dying on the cross and being resurrected from the grave by God three days later (the real reason for celebrating Easter).
So many people bore witness to His birth, so many people bore witness to His death, and so many people bore witness to Him still on earth after His death and subsequent resurrection, just prior to His ascension to Heaven. For all of us, that's more than just "WOW!" It's our right relationship with God, i.e., to recognize and accept this incredible truth, this miraculous gift available to all of mankind throughout time, and to give Him our eternal praise and gratitude. It's only through the grace of God, and not the result of anything good we have done or ever could do, that we receive this precious gift!
The First Coming of Jesus, His life and teachings to us on this earth, are fully recorded in the gospels of the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). It's a must read for all of us, because it's what our relationship with God is based upon. It's true that when we die, we do go to our rest, i.e., we "rest with our fathers", as referenced many times throughout the Old Testament in the Bible. But the Bible goes on to say that each and every one of us will be roused from that rest at the Second Coming of Jesus (often referred to as Judgment Day). On that day, each of us from all of time will find one of two things: either our name written in the Book of Life (entry to Heaven), or be thrown into the lake of fire (Hell) - Revelations 20: 12-15. Each one is for eternity - hence the reason our relationship with God is the most essential one of our lives!

The Real Meaning of Life

The Holy Bible contains the true Word of God, and the answers to all of the so-called "mysteries of life", at least the ones most important for us to know here on earth. God created the world and all things in it, and He will end it according to His will ("I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." - Revelations 22: 13) Our purpose in life is to recognize and heed that fact, take great joy and comfort in that fact (aka the "peace of God"), and live our earthly lives accordingly. Again, this gift of our salvation does not come through any good thing we have done, or ever could do ourselves, but rather it's to accept Christ as our Savior, that He did it for us. Whether our lives here on earth are charac- terized by health and wealth, or by sickness and poverty, or somewhere in between, it's essential for us to know that earthly life is only a heartbeat in time, compared to our eternal life in Heaven or Hell. Eternal life in Hea- ven eases our thoughts towards our own mortality and that of our loved ones. Truly, that's the peace of God!
So don't worry about reaching that finish line as a car wreck. There's a brand new model waiting for us in Heaven with the ultimate new car warranty - guaranteed to really last a lifetime - and longer actually, if only we can steer between God's fence-posts here on earth! May God grant us all this peace of mind!

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