Defining the Relationship.

Here's my best friend Myra, and I...and my many chins. Seeing as this post is going to go through the topic of relationships and friendships, I'll just say that my friendship with Myra is a very significant one in my life. I am still awed by how we came to be such good friends. I am very blessed to have her in my life. With that..

I don't know if people still say it, or throw down the ol' DTR - define the relationship. Is that still a thing? I think it is? There are plenty of young people out there fooling around in strange relationships, and I'm sure them and their SO's (significant others), really love the clarity of knowing what exactly the relationship is, hence DTR-ing...D-ingTR?..nevermind. 

I can imagine how when you hear the person you're in close relation to, ask you: "So what are we? How do we define this relationship?", your heart skips around, and you might get a bit panicky because you really don't know. Or you just hadn't thought about it, and you don't really want to deal with this at the moment, because you just want to enjoy whatever is going on. Sooner or later though, it's going to happen, and you'll both want to figure it out. 

Similarly, if you never thought about it, the same thing has to happen between you and God. The relationship we have with Him is no different in that regard. In fact, this relationship is much more precious, and therefore should be more worthy of attention to detail, and understanding of what our relationship to Him really is. 

"21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" (Matthew 7:21-23)

The thing is, like the pharisees and other people who call upon God but have no relationship with Him, even though in their minds they have known Him, or have "done things for Him," He has not known them. They have not truly come to know Him, because they had not truly submitted to, or known His heart's desires.

It's important for us to understand how we relate to God. While I hear many throw around the words,"Jesus is my friend," or "Jesus is my homeboy," I actually don't think I'd be comfortable, safely saying any of that. For me personally, between the Lord and I, I'm still working on the lordship aspect of our relationship. Yes, I am coming to know Him, but as of yet, we are still in the midst of building the basic, solid servant-master relationship. And on a related note, Jesus always referred to the followers of God in His parables as servants, and not ''Bros" or "buddies" (not just because those words didn't exist back then, you get what I mean).

With Abraham, God called him His friend. To me, that does not mean I am instantly God's friend, or that once I became a Christian, He just calls me His friend. When God called Abraham His friend, that was because He had just shown Abraham His heart. Abraham had a long time to know the Lord, and it is in this personal moment, after Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, God FINALLY calls him friend. This story tells me that there is hope for a friendship between God and I, but not because all of a sudden I state that we are best buds. God isn't illogical or spontaneous with relationships.

The term 'friend' seems to be very loosely defined these days. It's clear that God's definition and concept of 'friend' is so much deeper than what we understand. With the Lord, the relationship is a progression. We must know Him first as Saviour, Messiah, Redeemer and Lord. It is my belief that friendship with the Lord will come as you establish those other dimensions first. When He reveals His heart to you, as you know and submit to Him as your Lord and Saviour, friendship will blossom. 

So the question is, who is Jesus to you? What is your relationship to Him?