“Come near to
God and he will come near to you.”
James 4:8a (NIV)
Once we begin to realize how much God loves us, and continue to
grow in that understanding by reading His Word (His Love Letter to us)
regularly, the next step is to enter into and grow in a relationship with God. How do we enter into a relationship with
God? Jesus says we must be “born again”:
“‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God.’
Nicodemus
said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s
womb and be born?’
Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. . . For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’”
John
3:3-8, 16 (NKJV)
Jesus
died a gruesome death to take our sin that we might have relationship with a
holy God.
A
relationship with God begins with repentance.
Jesus began His earthly ministry preaching repentance, continued
preaching repentance throughout His earthly ministry, and taught His disciples
to continue preaching repentance after He left:
“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
Matthew 4:17 (NKJV)
“Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’”
Luke 24:46-47 (NKJV)
A relationship with God begins with repentance for sin which is met with the forgiveness of God and conversion from death (from sin) to life (in Christ). There is a new spiritual birth into a new man, having previously been spiritually dead now spiritually alive in relationship with God. We are born again into a new spiritual relationship with God—we become adopted children of the Father. The Bible refers to born-again believers who make up the Church as the bride of Christ, a term which represents the closest of relationships and God’s desire for an intimate relationship with us:
“And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.’”
Matthew 22:1-3 (NKJV)
“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.”
2 Corinthians 11:2 (NIV)
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
Ephesians 5:25-27 (NKJV)
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”
Revelation 19:7 (NIV)
“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’”
Revelation 21:9 (NIV)
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’”
Revelation 22:17a (NIV)
If you are struggling with an
out-of-balance relationship with food focus on growing your relationship with
God. As your love for God grows your
love for Him will replace your love for the world and unholy affections. As your relationship with God grows He will
change you from the inside-out. No more
dieting to try to change from the outside-in which at best usually only
produces temporary change and adds nothing to your eternal relationship with
God. The N.E.W. LIFE book below is written to
help people who struggle with a poor relationship with food to better health,
for individuals in bondage to food and diets to find freedom, and to help those
who have settled for a relationship with food to discover the incomparably more
satisfying relationship with God and the abundant life that Jesus died to give
us.
Dear Jesus, we know You desire intimate relationship with each one of us and that it starts with confession and repentance for sin and receiving the Father’s forgiveness for which you died for us to reconcile us to God to be in relationship with Him. Thank you for Your Sacrifice that we might be restored in relationship with the Father, adopted as His children into the family of God.
N.E.W. LIFE (Nutrition, Exercise, Wellness for
LIFE): Biblical Support for Health and Freedom from Bondage to Food and Diets
Print
book $20 https://payhip.com/b/aLGtD
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