Our Father in heaven desires that we choose to take Him up on His offer to be His children, spend time with Him, and to grow spiritually from infancy to maturity. He puts us in a school of faith, just as we enroll our children in school, to teach us to follow and trust Him.
We can be so intent on getting immediate needs met that we fail to see God's hand reaching to us in love and compassion, offering what we need to be truly satisfied. Only a relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ, and the infilling, indwelling of His spirit can fill our empty souls now until eternity.
The moment we trust Jesus as Lord and Savior, and begin to walk by His spirit, we enter a life of faith. We live by the assurance that God is all He claims to be and will do all that He promises.
One of the ways to grow in godliness is by learning to listen to our Father, then trusting and obeying the good word we receive. Living as Christians (followers of Jesus Christ) is about relationship and not religion and religious practices. It's about walking, talking, and most of all being in communication with the Creator, Son, and Spirit of God. It's not about the people at the church, the sermons, or the songs. It's about being "in church" seven days a week.
Regularly set aside uninterrupted time to listen and wait for the Lord of the universe to speak, to calm, and grab your spirit. Turn off the radio for a spell while you're driving. Invite Him to come with you on a fishing trip. Then apply the truth you learn, and observe the results.
Our Father wants to help us become more like His Son, Jesus. It takes time to learn to walk by faith, trusting what we cannot see. I like how writer David Yonggi Cho calls the Holy Spirit my "senior partner." He checks in every morning for instructions on how to fill his day according to God's wishes and will.
God's nature is perfect, and everything He does is right (Deuteronomy 32:4). He is "compassionate and gracious ... and abounding in loving kindness," Psalms 103:8. Conforming us to the image of Jesus is part of how He expresses His goodness, Romans 8:29.
From the Lord's perspective, everything that fits into His plan is beneficial for us. He demonstrated that by sending His Son to die for us thus making an offering and invitation to the only relationship that will totally satisfy us in the remaining time we have on Earth.
As the saying goes, "You deserve a break today." Why not take time to get on the right path to a better more enjoyable, satisfying life? God longs to be with us. Spend some time with the Father. I don't know if God can ever be lonely. But I know my dad would be.
The Rev. Bill Baltz is a member of the Carson Valley Ministers' Association.
