The Starting Point

My reading began with a book entitled "Invitation to the Jesus Life; Experiments in Christlikeness" by Jan Johnson. Early she speaks of "'knowing" God and she makes this statement that knowing "doesn't mean a mere acquaintance with facts nor an intellectual acceptance' '; instead it means 'a complete devotion of the life in harmony with the revealed will of God and an intimate fellowship with Jesus.' It is not just mental assent to Jesus' divinity. It refers to personal fellowship. God wants to have an interactive relationship with us."

Such a relationship give us a depth and richness in our relationship with Jesus that this relationship guides our behavior. I understand how this works because in some small part, we see it played out in our own relationships. When I was younger I enjoyed a lot of activities which meant that I was out or away from home to participate in them. My maturing love for my wife and family meant that the relationship with them was so much more important than the activities I enjoyed that in time, I gave up all those activities. The family did not say I had to but the fellowship with family became too important to give the time to the other activities.

She goes on to state that we have slipped into a time where we do not understand what it means to be in deep relationship with Jesus but instead have been influenced by a self-seeking, self-serving attitude pervasive in the culture around us. She states, "Compare such richness with the now-prevalent 'spirituality of me, here, and now. Self-centeredness, self-preoccupation, self-preservation." Her observation is that this attitude pervades so much of the church and the individuals within the church.

I have been challenged to look anew at my own journey. Where are my devotions and what is the nature of the relationship with Jesus?