Relationship Building

 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20 

Do you ever go into a pre-planned conversation and it changes midstream?  Every so often, I will get into a situation where I am focused on a specific discussion, and then right in the middle of it, something changes.  Either the mood shifts, or maybe you hear something that makes you say to yourself, “You know?  Now is probably not the best time for this to be said.”  It could be with a spouse, child, friend, and even coworker.  No matter the person, there is a sense that causes us to shift gears on the fly.  Why is that?  It has to do with the relationship built with that person.  Sure, there are time where we can clearly see it’s a bad time to ask someone to hurry up when they are sobbing.  But other times, we know the other person well enough to gauge the timing of something good to say vs. bad.  When to console instead of being critical.  When to have a lighthearted laugh instead of bringing up a serious conversation.  You are committed to that person’s wellbeing even when they are not directly in your presence.  The deeper it is, the greater all of the above applies.  It’s all about relationship building. 

We should continually check where we are in our relationship with God.  I picked the verses today not because of its focus, which most would know is ‘The Great Commission’ or the end of the book of Matthew.  Today, the view is the culmination of a well-established relationship built between Jesus and His disciples.  They had been through so much together.  There was the beginning where each of them chose to follow Him.  The many miracles witnessed like turning water into wine, watching Gentiles call Him the Messiah, the many healings, and yes, the betrayal and eventual crucifixion all were part of their journey.  There was a lot of joy and pain all in a relative short period of time.  Yet, after the resurrection their bond was stronger than ever.  And Jesus leaves them with the words of, “go and make disciples of all the nations.”  I ask myself when I think of Jesus, do I think of Him just when I need Him?  Kind of like my daughter when she wants the new AirPods?  Or am I laughing when He teaches me something?  Like when my wife shows me she is my better half in a funny way?  You see, when we are only doing God as a ritual and when something is wrong, that may be honoring Him, but it is not a growing and fulfilling relationship.  If you have a dull day and look to God and say, “You know what?  This was pretty bland, but I know better days are ahead.  I am grateful you are with me.  I pray I have done good by you today, and just know I’m thinking of you.”  That does not have a lot to it, but a relationship is not about excitement or fireworks.  It is about showing up each and every day and acknowledging the other’s presence.  While decorum and respect for God is an important part of our relationship, being loving and kind I would argue rates higher because one, they are fruits of the Spirit and two, it comes from a heart for God.  I noted ‘for God’ as Ezekiel 36:26 says, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” 

God is delighted when we are invested in Him.  Earlier this week, I read about the baptism of Jesus, and how God said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” (Mark 1:11b) While we are not the Son of God, we are God’s children, and He delights in us.  Our journey of faith is a continuous relationship building exercise in understanding why He loves us so much, and in doing so, we find an even greater love for Him, ourselves, and others.  Let us focus on our continual spiritual growth to build a healthy relationship with Jesus just as His disciples did.  Where are you in your relationship with Jesus?  Are you focused on ritual-based or authentic relationship with God?  My prayer is that we do some additional relationship building with Jesus today and beyond.  Amen.