Intimacy, dependency, obedience (1)

“For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” John 5:20 NIV

These three things define the relationship Jesus had with His Father, and they are a blueprint for the kind of relationship you need to build with God: intimacy, dependency, obedience. First, let’s look at intimacy. Jesus said, “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” You only reveal yourself, including your innermost thoughts and secrets, to someone with whom you are intimate. And when you become intimate with God, He will share with you things that others are not privy to. David’s greatest passion was to know God intimately. In Psalm 25:4 he wrote, “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths” (NIV). Then he followed up by saying, “The Lord confides in those who fear [honour] him” (v. 14 NIV). Having an intimate relationship with God involves three things: (a) Desire. The truth is that you are as close to God right now as you desire to be; otherwise, you would rearrange your priorities to make it happen. (b) Discipline. This calls for spending time alone with God in prayer and Bible reading each day. When you pray, you’re talking to God. When you read the Bible, God is talking to you. (c) Delight. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4 NKJV). Something wonderful happens when you “delight yourself in the Lord.” His desires become “the desires of your heart,” so He can trust you with them. Do you want a more intimate relationship with the Lord? If you are willing to pursue it, you can have it.

The Word for You Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from Celebration Enterprises, Inc. Copyright © 2024