Growing or Going

Joshua 22: 24      GW

“We were worried because of the situation we’re in. We thought sometime in the future your children might say to our children, ‘What relationship do you have with the Lord God of Israel?’”

How good a Christian are you? Many of us would answer that question with a litany of our behaviors. It is also how we determine how good others are. The reality is, it is measured in how close you are to God and Jesus rather than in your good acts.

In the old days, this was a question of importance for the tribes. It affected the nations’ security and alliances. Today, we ask the question of ourselves as individuals. This question, though, contrasted with the old times, is not an opportunity for judgment. In other words, we don’t need to judge each other’s Christianity or even our own. Instead, we gauge where we are in our relationship with God. Are we growing the way we want to? Is our relationship with the trinity growing? Are the stressors of the last two years causing us to slip away a little?

We can go to church every week and still our hearts may not be as close to God as they once were. Church behaviors don’t make us good Christians, but they put us in a place where we can interact with others who love God and that helps us draw near to Him.

We live in a time when each person can have their own relationship with the God of Israel. We both individually and collectively develop that relationship so that we come to know God and hear Him speaking with us.

How good a Christian are you? The real question is, are you where you want to be? Are you headed in the direction you desire? If not, what can you do to cause your relationship with Yahweh to grow and flourish? If we draw near to Him, He has promised to draw near to us. I pray for you all, today, that your relationship with God is growing and giving you increasing comfort and satisfaction. I also pray that your children are reaping the benefits of a closer walk with Christ and that their relationship with the God of Israel, grows stronger each day.