Have you ever found yourself on a journey, only to realize that you’re in the wrong place? Either you had missed the street signs or you had put the wrong information in your GPS. How did that feel? It can be like that with relationships, especially your relationship with God. Hence the need for a relationship test.
For some people, a relationship with God is more of a wish. They do not see how it could be possible. For others, it’s a see-saw. Sometimes they feel close to God and others times they don’t. They would prefer to feel close to God all the time. Make no mistake, there are ways of growing closer to God as you read in last week’s post. However, this may beg the question: Is there a way to know when I am growing in my relationship with God? Is there something akin to a relationship test? The good news is that there is. Here are three elements of it. If you’re serious about your relationship with God, pay attention. It’s time to take it.
Relationship Test Check 1—The Love Question
How are you loving others? It’s one thing to say that you love God. It’s one thing to feel good when you pray, when you go to church, when you read the Bible. However, the critical question remains: how are you loving others? Is it time to take the test?
You see, the Scripture is clear. “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:7–8). It’s one that we keep coming back to. It’s clear, yet we forget. It shows that love is a choice and not simply a feeling. If you’re not loving people, you’re not loving God. Without love, what kind of relationship is that?
Relationship Test Check 2—The Obedience Question
When God tells you to do something that you do not want to do, what happens? Do you do it? Do you make excuses? If you obey and do it, do you do so wholeheartedly or grudgingly? As you’ll see below, the obedience question is a big one in the relationship test when it comes to God. Is it time for you to take the test?
Here is what Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments (John 14:15). This is very simply stated. What is there to not understand? And by the way, loving others is one of those commandments. As noted, what Jesus said is simply stated, easy to understand. Is it as easy to do? What do you think? This brings us to the third check.
Relationship Test Check 3—The Prayer Question
When you pray, how do you pray? Do you pray for others? Which others? How do you pray for them? How do you pray for yourself? Is it time for the test?
The prayer question is important for the first and second relationship test checks. You see, you can’t love everyone without God’s strength. To always obey God without the help of the Holy Spirit is impossible. Thus, in your praying, ask God to keep filling you with God’s love so that you love everyone. Ask God for an obedient heart that will overflow in obedient actions. In general, ask God to make you Christlike. And, while you’re at it, here is a great prayer from the Bible for you to pray for yourself and others:
And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9–11).
A relationship test with respect to your relationship with God is possible. If want to grow closer and closer to God, it’s always time to take the relationship test to ensure you are on the right road in your journey.
Get closer to God and gain a deeper understanding of who God is.
Picture courtesy of Jedidja /Pixabay.Com
