Have you ever watched Survivor? It is one of my favorite shows. What you are supposed to do is to outwit...outplay...outlast...everyone else. If you do, you will win a million dollars at the end. Sounds kind of easy if you have a bit of a deceptive personality, are good at lying, and can find two or three people you can build some sort of a trusting relationship with. The thing is, even if you think you can trust someone, you never know for sure and paranoia will eventually set in. It's a fun way to play a game. Life however is more than a reality game show. Life is real reality. It matters how you play.
Before I became a Christian I wasn't as bad as the players on Survivor but I did know how to play the game. I had one close relationship and the rest were just very casual. I wasn't good at making friends and when I did a lot of them weren't the kind I should have. Since becoming a Christian I have discovered that life really is all about relationships. The main relationship we need to have first is our relationship with GOD/JESUS. Without that all of our other relationships are never what they could be. Whether your talking about GOD/JESUS or family and friends, it requires intimacy and trust to build a relationship.
How do you build a relationship with GOD? Well, you can look at the story of Abram and Sarai in Genesis. GOD told Abram he was going to have many descendents. The funny thing is, his wife Sarai couldn't have any kids! Because GOD was slow in giving them children they decided to take things into their own hands. But, that wasn't how it was to be. Even though Abram had a child, there was more to come. The thing is, they had to wait for GOD to decide when. GOD seemed to have wanted something from Abram. He wanted him to walk with HIM, communicate with HIM, have faith in and trust HIM. GOD wanted to have a "relationship" with Abram. Abram and his wife Sarai went through many things but all the while GOD was with them. It took many years before they saw GODS promise of a child of their own come to pass. But, it did. GOD fulfilled what HE said HE would do. In all this time it took, the important thing happened...relationship was built between GOD and Abram. Abram learned to trust, believe and have great faith in GOD. In return GOD did great things for Abram and his descendents. By the way...their names were changed to Abraham and Sarah. Go to Genesis and read the story.
Sometimes it takes a while to build the relationship you need to have with GOD. It depends a lot on you. The way you do it is to...talk to GOD about everything...read and meditate on HIS word...WALK with HIM daily. It's not always an easy thing to do. Things happen. You get discouraged...even want to quit. Hang in there because it will get better. Keep on walking, communicating, having faith in and trusting HIM. That's all HE really wants from you.
Hebrews 11:1 (The Message)
Faith in What We Don't See
1-2The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
