Just a few thoughts...

Okay, I'm going to make a confession here.  I believe that God still communicates with his people in all sorts of ways.  I personally believe that he speaks to our hearts through the natural world, through other believers, and at times through people who are not Christian.  I also believe that he speaks through visions and dreams.  (If you think I'm out of my mind, you have my blessing to leave now).  This will lead somewhere, I promise.

Over the last 150 years Western Christianity has seemed to reduce what it means to be a Christian to acknowledging a series of beliefs with the brain.  I was like that for a long time.  However, I have come to understand that God is not as nearly interested in what your brain thinks as he is with how your heart beats.  Here's the thing, it is pretty easy to be a Christian if all you have to do is say that you believe that Jesus is God's Son and that he came to earth and died on a cross.  It's pretty easy to be a Christian if you go to church on a fairly regular basis, love those who love you, and recite the Apostle's Creed every so often.  That's all head knowledge.  

However, I was reminded in a dream the other day that that's not what God really wants.  With the end of the semester hitting at the same time as planning for Christmas, I have to admit that I quit spending as much time in the Bible or in prayer.  In fact, my Scripture reading was down to only a couple of verses a day and my prayer life amounted to a couple of sentences before meals and at bedtime.  Truthfully, it was really paying lip service to the Creator of the universe instead of spending quality time with my Father.  The day after Christmas, I was awoken by a dream that I was having.  In the dream, I was teaching Sunday school and the importance of focusing on the means of grace (prayer, Scripture reading, fasting, Holy Communion, etc.).  I had several of these items listed on the white board.  As I was talking, I looked to my left and standing next to me was Jesus.  He held out his arms to me and I was suddenly convicted that what I was teaching in the classroom I was not currently practicing.

I used to feel guilty when I would miss several days in my devotional life.  However, when I woke up from that dream, I didn't feel guilt...I felt sadness.  I felt like I had missed something.  I realized that there was something missing from my life and that something was the relationship that I have with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  I guess the best word for it is emptiness.  

Over the past year and a half I have been chatting with a cousin that I have not seen in about 20 years.  She and I got reconnected on Facebook and have begun to get to know one another again.  Even though I "knew" her before we began to chat, I had no relationship with her.  We are still getting to know each other again and I find that I really like her and hope to see her this coming year.  

I'm afraid the kind of "relationship" that most people have with Jesus Christ is the kind I had with my cousin before I reconnected with her.  They know he's out there, but there is not much else to it.  My prayer for you this coming year is that your relationship with the Holy Father, Holy Son, and Holy Spirit will improve.  I believe that we can never get too close to the Trinity and that the better the relationship we have with God now will continue to form us into the image of Christ for the benefit of others in the Body of Christ.

+May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.  Amen