Four C's of a Relationship with Christ

Sandra Wit her....well, that is the name that randomly started appearing on emails sent from my phone recently.  You can imagine the jokes that ensued and the hashtags I started receiving from my clowning co-workers.  "U either wit her or u against her," they said. "We wit you." #Inotagainstyou #Iwityou

What I didn't realize is when my work phone was set up, my name autocorrected to Wit you.  Once again, we can be humored by almost anything.

Ah, the spiritual lessons I gleaned from this.  We are either Wit God or we are against God.  Oh, I desire to be "with" Him.  I believe that's all of our hearts desires, to be close to Jesus, to shine gloriously bright for Him. So, how do we do this?

To be with someone, you have to be compassionate, connected, committed, and able to communicate. Let's look at these from a spiritual context.

The C's of a Realtionship

1. Compassionate:  

To be in a meaningful relationship, you have to know the other persons mind-set and be passionately committed to the relationship. As a Christian, we must know why we believe what we believe and be passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

1 Peter 3:15  But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 

2.  Connected:

We find time for relationships that are important to us.  As Christians, we will spend time in God's word and rid ourselves of things that interfere with that relationship. 

Psalms 119:105 - Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

Matthew 4:4 - But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

3.  Commitment:  

We have an unwavering commitment to those we love and are connected to.  We stick by them through thick and then. Nothing can break that tie.  Such is the case as a Christian.  Jesus died for our sins and committed to forgive us for our sins. In turn, we commit our lives to Him at the point of salvation.  We are not to let anything get in the way of that relationship.

1John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

4.  Communication:

We spend time talking, texting, tweeting those we love the most.  We don't let time go by without communicating. We complete each others sentences and know the good, the bad and the ugly...yet we still love.  Oh, so much more, we should communicate with God. Pray without ceasing, seeking Him first in all we do.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

May we be more compassionate, connected, committed and communicative with Christ than ever before!

Four C's of a Relationship With Christ

Sandra Wit her....well, that is the name that randomly started appearing on emails sent from my phone recently.  You can imagine the jokes that ensued and the hashtags I started receiving from my clowning co-workers.  "U either wit her or u against her," they said. "We wit you." #Inotagainstyou #Iwityou

What I didn't realize is when my work phone was set up, my name autocorrected to Wit you.  Once again, we can be humored by almost anything.

Ah, the spiritual lessons I gleaned from this.  We are either Wit God or we are against God.  Oh, I desire to be "with" Him.  I believe that's all of our hearts desires, to be close to Jesus, to shine gloriously bright for Him. So, how do we do this?

To be with someone, you have to be compassionate, connected, committed, and able to communicate. Let's look at these from a spiritual context.

The C's of a Realtionship

1. Compassionate:  

To be in a meaningful relationship, you have to know the other persons mind-set and be passionately committed to the relationship. As a Christian, we must know why we believe what we believe and be passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

1 Peter 3:15  But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 

2.  Connected:

We find time for relationships that are important to us.  As Christians, we will spend time in God's word and rid ourselves of things that interfere with that relationship.

Psalms 119:105 - Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

Matthew 4:4 - But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

3.  Commitment:  

We have an unwavering commitment to those we love and are connected to.  We stick by them through thick and then. Nothing can break that tie.  Such is the case as a Christian.  Jesus died for our sins and committed to forgive us for our sins. In turn, we commit our lives to Him at the point of salvation.  We are not to let anything get in the way of that relationship.

1John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

4.  Communication:

We spend time talking, texting, tweeting those we love the most.  We don't let time go by without communicating. We complete each others sentences and know the good, the bad and the ugly...yet we still love.  Oh, so much more, we should communicate with God. Pray without ceasing, seeking Him first in all we do.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

May we be more compassionate, connected, committed and communicative with Christ than ever before!

Sweet as Tea! Jesus sweeter than Tea!

Sweet Tea....

It's southern and it's energizing.  Many mornings I wake up wondering if there is enough in the refrigerator to give me that kickstart I need. Of course there is, I always make sure tea is brewed before I go to bed.  In South Georgia, having tea in your refrigerator is as necessary as milk is to a new born baby.  It has to be just sweet enough, not too much sugar but definitely not too little!  Brewed just dark enough but not too dark.  Cold always --- never hot tea for this southerner.

Sweet as tea we say in the south.  If you are a sweet tea drinker, you know what that means.  A glass is never far away, always hits the spot, and cannot be substituted!  

Jesus....always by my side, always knows what I need, and cannot be substituted.  Just taking a minute to say how thankful I am that He loves me enough to never forsake me or leave me, to meet my every need, and to be the ONE way.  Sweeter than tea!

Joshua 1:5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Philippians  4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.