Relationship With God

Now we move on to the next section of Chazown, into the areas that Craig Groeschel calls the “five spokes.” He points out that in order to get to your destiny, you also have to be seeking God’s best in the supporting areas that make it possible. The five areas he discusses are: relationship with God, relationships with people, financial health, physical health, and your life’s work. I’ll start with the first one mentioned, relationship with God.

I am reminded that God doesn’t want me to simply read the Bible and follow his rules; he desires a relationship (sometimes that’s hard for me to wrap my mind around, and I have lots to say about that- maybe in my next post). But a relationship can’t be one-sided, and I am often inconsistent—sometimes feeling close to him and trying to get even closer, and at other times feeling distant.

One question to answer is, “What are the disciplines that best help you experience God?” I hate to give what will probably sound like a pat answer, but honestly, reading the Bible and praying do help, when I do them consistently. But there’s more. It’s not just reading the Bible; reading good books about God, books that are challenging and help me grow in my faith and understanding, are a huge help to me. The books I’ve read by Shane Claiborne and Philip Yancey are great examples, and so is Chazown. I’m also helped by outreach, writing out my thoughts, and fellowship, relationships, and conversations with others.

But at the same time, there is something that keeps me distant from God. I put other things before him. All the time. I don’t like to admit that, but it’s true. I’m always keeping myself busy with other stuff—big stuff and little stuff, important stuff and trivial stuff—and at the end of the day I fall into bed, ready to go to sleep, and realize that I haven’t really talked to God at all that day, that I haven’t read the Bible or done anything else that helps me grow in my relationship with him. And that needs to change.

So here is my plan. I am committing to reading the Bible daily, something that has been hit-or-miss for me for a long time. I’m also going to start reading books regularly that help me grow spiritually, probably one each month, and I’m sure I’ll be writing about my thoughts here. I’m going to get more involved in community outreach/local missions, and I’m also going to become involved in a Wednesday night small group. And I’m going to make a conscious, daily effort to not put all sorts of other things ahead of my relationship with God. It's time to stop keeping God at a distance.