The Prerequisite for Living the Good Life
Why are we chasing after the “good life” when it is ours for the taking?
We are striving so we can live the dream. We are saving and cutting corners so we can buy our happiness. We are busting it for the first 60ish years so we can finally step into the good life. But… what if the good life could have been ours all along and we just didn’t realize what we were missing?
It’s a sad thought, isn’t it?
Oh, we see people living it up, buying yachts, dancing until dawn and we think oh, that’s the good life. People show us their highlight reels only sharing the picture-perfect moments, while hidden behind the glitz and glamour is the reality of their life. You see, we all have struggles. We all encounter pain. We have disappointments, misguided expectations, and loss to live through. Neither money, circumstances, or a new love interest can negate those facts from our life.
But, when our life is founded on the Good News of Jesus Christ, we are offered the prerequisite for living the good life. How do I know? Well, because I, too, thought I knew what I needed to know about God for many years. I loved Jesus and had accepted Him as my Savior, but He was not the Lord of my Life. I was the Lord of my life. I asked God to bless my plans, give me my way and fulfill my will. I was striving, working and doing all the things so that I could live the good life. Don’t you know God rolled His eyes at me as He patiently waited for me to get it?
One of my spiritual mentors, Andy Horner, used to semi-jokingly say, “When you get it, you got it and when you got it, you get it.” I would laugh and think, “Okay. Okay. I got it.” But guess what? I didn’t get it. I thought I knew what I needed to know, but what I needed was to know God more. You see, the whole point of salvation is to be reconciled to God so that we can have a relationship with Him.
The prerequisite for living the Good Life is a relationship with our Good, Good Father.
Practicing religion is not the same as developing a relationship with our triune God. He is God our Father, Jesus our Best Friend and the Holy Spirit our Teacher. We think He is watching to see if we read our Bible, practice kindness and say our prayers. But actually, He is waiting for us to come and be with Him, to walk with Him and talk with Him and to share our thoughts, feelings and desires with Him. He fully knows us and He wants us to get to know Him.
Do you have a growing relationship with God?
Here are 5 ways to grow to know Him more…
1. Develop the habit of confessing our sin to God. You see, the Bible tells us that our sin separates us from God. Confessing our sin removes the barrier because He is faithful to forgive us. And… confessing helps us to acknowledge what we are doing is sin and therefore repent or stop it. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
2. Read our Bible regularly. As we read, we hear from God; it is His voice to us. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
3. Talk to God in prayer, remembering Who it is we are talking to. In the past, my prayers could have just been a rant. But a relationship requires we recognize who we are engaging in conversation. Jesus gave us an example of how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13. So, we should acknowledge God’s deity, before we make petitions and requests.
4. We need to be a part of a body of believers. We cannot help but grow closer to God as we enter His house to worship Him and fellowship with other believers.
5. The proof of our growing relationship with God will be our obedience to Him. Our obedience should be our response to the grace we have received through Jesus Christ. “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.’” John14:23
I am praying for you today. I am asking God to help you discern between practicing religion and developing a growing relationship with Him. There is nothing better than walking and talking with Him throughout your day. It all begins when we stop striving, start surrendering and step into the Good Life. Will you do that today?
Note from Pam:
Thank you for reading this blog post. I hope it blesses your heart and encourages you in your walk with God - no matter what is going on in your life. Won’t you give Him your struggle today?
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I love you and am thankful you are here. Let’s ask, “Master, what matters?” and let’s engage with Him and experience the more He came to offer.