Week 2 - Day 1
THE RELATIONSHIP
Daily Directions
JESUS’ RELATIONSHIP
Here’s another quote from Dallas Willard.
A biblical Christian is not just someone who holds certain beliefs about the Bible. He or she is also someone who leads the kind of life demonstrated in the Bible: a life of personal, intelligent interaction with God. (Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God, p. 104).
What an amazing thought. Can you actually have “a life of personal, intelligent interaction with God”? Yes, you can and you will!
That’s because that’s the kind of relationship Jesus had with His Father. Jesus modeled “a life of personal, intelligent interaction with God.” And the call to follow Jesus is a call to pattern your life after Jesus, including His relationship with His Father.
So let’s look at Jesus’ relationship with His Father.
John 5:19-20 (NLT)
Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing.”
Jesus’ relationship with His Father informed everything He did. But how did Jesus know what the Father was doing so that He could join Him?
Mark 1:32-29 (NLT)
That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. The whole town gathered at the door to watch. So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak.
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.
Luke 5:15-16 (NIV)
The news about Jesus spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
To say the least, Jesus is busy. He’s slammed with ministry opportunities.
But what does Jesus take time to do?
Why do you think Jesus prioritized this?
How could Jesus resist the needs of the crowd and the expectations of His disciples?
How did Jesus know that He had to move on and go minister in other towns?
Once again, Jesus calls us to follow Him. And as we have seen, biblical faith is never just believing certain things about Jesus. Biblical faith also includes practically pursuing Jesus’ way of life and the relationships of His life.
If Jesus had a personal, intelligent and interactive relationship with His Father, what kind of relationship are we to have with the Father and Jesus?
Do you think that’s possible?
How have you already experienced such a relationship?
What kind of priorities and activities would help foster such a relationship?
Starting tomorrow we will consider a way to develop a personal, intelligent, interactive relationship with God. We call it Daily Directions.
In light of what you have discovered through the Bible readings and your personal reflections, how will you respond? Finish this sentence: I will …