A Deep Personal Relationship With Jesus - An Invitation

This morning I was reading through the introduction to the next section of the Ignatian spiritual exercises I am working through, and really like what the author had to say. He said, "We really can not love someone unless we first know him or her on a deeply personal level. Ultimately, it is possible to follow Jesus, with the sacrifices that entails, only if we a rooted in our love for him."

This is exactly the theme and pursuit of my life for the last several years, establishing and building a more intimate relationship with Jesus. It is something we are all called to do, but I fear that many don't. It is in relationship with Him that we understand who we really are and recognize His motivations are always rooted in love. His command to "love one another" is followed by the statement, "as I have loved you" (John 13:34). His love is always first, or previous as Graham Cooke says. He doesn't begin to love us once we come to Him, He has always loved us and has always been calling us into deeper relationship with Him. There is nothing we can do to earn His love because He already loves us. That would be like working at a job to earn the money that is already in your bank account, it is already yours.

We do however, need to understand Him to understand His love for us. It is much the same for any child. They don't really understand love, but grow up under the love of their parents, as they grow older, they begin to understand their parents love, understand the choices the parents make to continue to love them. Even is this model, with the constant presence and interaction, love in relationship takes time to understand.

Take a new couple as another example, there may be an immense attraction, but over time that develops into love as their relationship blossoms, and deepens. As they come to know one another more thoroughly, more intimately (not speaking of the physical nature presently) they hopefully grow in love for one another. Relationships are always a two-way street.

Conversely, we say someone is sick in their mind if they believe they have a relationship with someone they have never met, the term we often use is 'obsessed', and if they become active in pursuing that relationship they become a 'stalker'. One sided relationships are not relationships at all, and at the very least are unhealthy. I was just thinking that much of the wrong behaviors in the name of Jesus or in the name of the church must come about because of this type of one-way relationship. People become obsessed with rules, totally misrepresenting Jesus, because they don't know Him. We are not called to this type of relationship with Jesus, but rather to a normal two-way relationship. We are called to love one another the way He loves us, and that means loving one another, He and us.

So, if we are called to a two-way, healthy relationship with Jesus, than we must be able to come to understand Him more. We must be able to converse, to share, to learn, to communicate with one another. That is what prayer is supposed to be, not some rote recital, but a living conversation. There are several prayers I learned as a child which are meant to give us words, and ultimately give us understanding of the Lord, but they are not meant to replace real communication. Our conversations with the Lord may be audible, or of the heart or mind, He doesn't mind what form, for He actually does know what we are thinking (Psalm 139:2), unlike our spouses. :-)

The Lord has made a way for us to know Him more, and He is named the Holy Spirit. Look at these verses from John's Gospel focused on the role of the Holy Spirit - John 14:16-18, 26-27 NIV:

[16] "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever--- [17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. [18] I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

[26] But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. [27] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

And continuing in Chapter 15 - John 15:26 NIV: “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father---the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father---he will testify about me."

In other words, one of the reasons the Holy Spirit has been given to us is to help us know Jesus, who is the exact representation of the Father (Heb 1:3). This is the wonderful mystery of the Trinity, they all speak for each other and when we know one, we know them all.

Jesus continues on about the Holy Spirit in John 16:7, 12-15 NIV:

[7] "But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

[12] “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. [13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. [14] He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. [15] All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

The Lord couldn't be any clearer, the Holy Spirit will speak and we will be able to hear Him. He will guide us, and will make known to us, and will speak to us. For this to work, we must be able to understand His guidance, know what He makes known and hear want He says. This is what our times of prayer will bring about - an understanding, knowing and hearing.

So let us endeavor to listen, know, and understand, that we might know Jesus more, and love Him more. He wants us to have a two-way love relationship with Him, and that is only possible if we know Him on a deeply personal level. Let us dive deep into His love, for He has made the way, and has sent us the Holy Spirit as our guide.