Having a vibrant and active relationship with Christ isn’t impossible. It is however hard and takes effort on our part. One struggle that we Christ followers have is knowing how and where to begin living for him each and every day.  It sounds silly to even write, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been involved in conversations with fellow believers that are struggling with very thing. There was a time in my life that this was me. I wanted the relationship I saw others having with God, I wanted to spend time in His word and understand what I was reading. I wanted to talk to Him with ease and hear Him talking to me as well. But I had no idea where to begin or how to even start. Please understand, I do NOT have this all figured out, I am still learning and growing just like everyone else. But I am willing to share what I have learned and discovered on my journey. 

In the 24th chapter of the book of Joshua we read “choose this day whom you will serve.” This comes after the people of Israel have entered the promised land. Joshua is telling his people that they can’t keep living like they have been, choosing to worship “foriegn gods”, and expect God to continue to walk with them and bless them. They had to choose. The same is true for us today. For me this really is the starting point for developing a vibrant and active relationship with Jesus. We have to make the conscious choice each day who or what we are going to serve. Yes, you may have made a commitment to Jesus, asked Him to forgive your sins and invited Him into your heart. Maybe even followed in baptism, got involved in a local church, etc. The problem is, none of that makes for a relationship. A relationship is built over time, it takes attention and energy, sometimes even sacrifice. 

As we all know and have heard before relationships are built by spending time together, having deep conversations with each other, making and taking the time to be together. The long lasting relationships we have didn’t come accidentally, at some point we made a choice to invest the time and energy necessary to build and maintain those relationships. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s convenient and fun, other times it’s highly inconvenient and not all that much fun. But when they are important to us we are willing to invest in them. The same is true with for our relationship with Jesus. Just like Joshua told the people of Israel, you have to “choose today who you will serve”. If you are serious about developing a vibrant and active relationship with Jesus it begins with a choice. 

The problem for us today is that we let too many other things get in our way. We daily choose to serve other people and things over Jesus. I have found one of the most important and practical ways in doing this is making a daily time alone with God a priority. Waking up early to spend at least an hour reading, studying, listening and praying is the best way to start the day. Part of choosing God every day is choosing to do whatever it takes to make spending time alone with Him a priority. Everyone is different, and there is no magic or perfect plan. It takes time to form the habit, trial and error to figure out what works for you and your journey with God, and sometimes it takes sacrifice to give up something else taking the place of God. 

Our “foreign gods” today look different than they did in Joshua’s day, but we still have them. Whether they be sports, bank accounts, jobs, kids, TV, phones, books, hobbies, etc. They come in all shapes and sizes. Often we don’t even realize we have made them our god or that we are choosing them but that is how our enemy works. He is sneaky, and sneaks in before we even realize what has happened. 

The relationship with God you’ve always wanted is available, it’s like Joshua said “choose this day whom you will serve.” In the Part 2, I will share some things I’ve learned over the years about developing a daily bible study plan.

If I can help you in the meantime, let me know I’m always available.