From our guest minister, Ryan Weeter….
During my recent mission trip to Belize I was ministering at a church. The sermon was on true worship. As I was ministering, I told the congregation that true worship was so important because it helps with our personal relationship with God. As soon as I said it, I was surprised. That wasn’t in my notes at all. I wrapped up the sermon and started thinking about our relationship with God and how important it truly is.
During my recent mission trip to Belize I was ministering at a church. The sermon was on true worship. As I was ministering, I told the congregation that true worship was so important because it helps with our personal relationship with God. As soon as I said it, I was surprised. That wasn’t in my notes at all. I wrapped up the sermon and started thinking about our relationship with God and how important it truly is.
Galatians 3:25-26 says, “But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” We are no longer under a schoolmaster. We are made the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. We need to stop being afraid of God. Stop thinking of Him only as a ruler that we must bow before at the throne. Definitely stop thinking of him in the sense that you need to come to him as nothing more than a worm. We are his children. Children of THE God. Not only that, but God IS love according to 1 John 4:8. God loves you and loves you more than you can imagine. Ephesians 3:18-19 AMP says, “That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself.” God loves you! He loves you SO much that it’s hard to put into words. He loves you so much that just experiencing his love for us fills us through all our being with the fullness of God.
Now, there is a time and a place for coming to God on the throne as before a king. However, we are to come boldly before the throne according to Hebrews 4:16. We shouldn’t come before the throne with the mindset of worms before God. We are His children, we are His creation, we are HIS. We are worthy. We were made the righteousness of God according to 2 Corinthians 5:21. That being said, too many people only think of God as a judging king on a throne. Far too few people think of God as their dad. Even some christians who refer to God as “father” seem to have a kind of disconnect, because we don’t use the word father very much. He’s our heavenly dad. His perfect plan for this world was the garden of Eden. Just walking through the garden, talking, and visiting with us. He’s the kind of dad that wants to hear all about your day. He’s the kind of dad that wants to give you gifts. He’s the kind of dad that just wants to love on you and talk with you. So why do we still act like he’s a distant and cold God who watches from Heaven judging us?
Something that helped me personally in my personal relationship with God was just telling him about my day. On the drive home from work or just laying in bed talking with him. Then as I fell asleep I would tell him goodnight and, as silly as it may sound, I would lift my hand to give him a high five. I know there’s no Biblical basis for giving God a high five, but I give my earthly father high fives. Why not my heavenly father? Regardless, it helped me reimagine my relationship with Him. No longer as just a distant God ruling from Heaven, but as my dad. My dad that I love and I know loves me.