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Text Box:      Let's take another "hard question" asked by a student at our "Purpose-Driven Texts" large group meeting last month.  As you recall, at one of our "Conversations" meetings in October, we asked students to text us questions about Christianity, the Bible and faith in general that they wanted answered by a panel of local spiritual leaders.  We could not answer all of the questions that evening, so I am taking a few of those questions as the subject of the devotional each week in the Spiritual Cyber-Vitamin.  One of the students texted us this question the night of our meeting: "What is a personal relationship with Jesus?"      This is a really great question for a lot of reasons!  First of all, the question reminds me of a point that I try to make with our Christian students all of the time.  We need to be careful not to use Christian slang phrases and "code words" that have a fuzzy meaning outside of our churches or our campus ministry groups.  Words that fall into this category include salvation, sin, redemption, born again, and many more.  Of course, these concepts are crucial to faith in Christ, but the meaning of these words, used mostly in a Christian context, can leave those who have not placed their trust in Christ or who have never attended a church feeling excluded, on the outside looking in, like they are not part of the "holy club."  Feelings like that are not conducive to engaging a person in a discussion of God and their personal convictions about Him.  I would include in this list of "Christian-ese" the phrase "a personal relationship with Jesus."  The challenge is to take all of these very important Christian ideas and concepts and translate them into everyday vernacular in a way that speaks to those who are not familiar with the language of faith.      So what does a "personal relationship with Jesus" really look like?  One of my favorite things to do as campus minister is to meet with students over a soft drink or a cup of coffee and just get to know them.  My main purpose is to communicate to them that the Lord believes they are very special young people with a great destiny that the Lord has designed for them.  I also want to see what their emotional, physical, mental, relational and spiritual needs might be so that we can seek to meet those needs through the resources available in the area, not just through Campus Ministry but all of the ministries on campus and in the community.  I often ask them what they believe about God and how they are doing in making him a part of their lives.  They often begin to tell me whether they are reading the Bible or not, whether they are going to church or not, and the amount of time they are either praying or not praying.  While all of these elements are important to learning more about the Lord, I actually believe that having a relationship with the living God is more than just completing a check list of religious duties.      When I think about the most important relationships in my life, primarily with my wife and children, I think of the priority of intimacy, trust, faithfulness and communication.  The more I can cultivate these four aspects of the relationship, the deeper that relationship will run.  So, when I think of a personal relationship with Jesus, I think about intimacy first.  Am I comfortable with Him, willing to share my deepest fears and joys, in those moments when I don't really want to be with anyone else?  All of us intuitively know the answer to that question for ourselves.  Simply being a spectator at church on Sunday morning will not produce an affirmative response to that question.  Do I trust the Lord, even when life seems to be going in the wrong direction?  And even when I don't trust Him, am I honest enough and engaged enough with Him to tell Him so?      What about faithfulness?  Am I faithful to what I believe and understand of the Bible?  Do I respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit as I learn to discern His leading?  How closely does my life align with my faith convictions?  And finally, communication.  I would be less interested in how "religiously" I prayed and more interested in how honest and heart-felt my prayers are.  Jesus criticized the ritualized prayers of the Jewish leaders of His day who prayed long prayers for show.  Some of the best prayers are short and simple, like "Help!"  Is prayer coming more and more easily to you, something that is becoming a part of your life that you just don't want to give up or miss?      I guess I have answered a question with a series of questions.  But I think the answers will get us much closer to truly enjoying a personal relationship with Jesus.  And, in the eternal scheme of things, that relationship counts for everything!  We will stand before Jesus someday and only our relationship with Him at that moment will matter--not the relationship that a family member or friend cultivated with Him.  And that image is not intended to frighten or intimidate you.  I just want to hear Jesus say to me some day, when this earthly life is over, "you loved me genuinely, Ben--well done!"  And I suspect that everyone reading this devotional feels the same way.      Heavenly Father, help us to talk to others about our faith in ways that will help them come closer to You--not confuse them or make them feel like they are not "part of the group."  We really want to relate to You in a healthy and growing way so that we can be all You have made us to be.  Thank You for wanting to relate to us and to love us more than we want to do either with You.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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