A Personal Relationship

Being a Christian is much about having a personal relationship with Jesus. I often enjoy the quips in front of church buildings. I passed one the other day that said, "Truth is not a doctrine, it is a person." Certainly there is truth in this statement, though doctrine cannot be avoided, since Jesus said, "If you love me, keep My commandments," (John 14:15). But Jesus and His followers taught the importance of having our heart connected to the Lord and to His people. Let's do a sampling of some of the teachings of Jesus, focusing on the sermon on the mount.


We see in Matthew 5 that much of Jesus' teaching had to do with relationships. "Let your light so shine before men.." (vs 16), and "Agree with you adversary quickly.." (vs 25). He says in verse 41, "whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two," and "love your enemies" (vs 44). Chapter 7:3 tells us, "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in you own eye." There is much teaching about dealing with others. He gave us this rule to help us with these challenges, "..whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.." (7:12)


There is a lot about personal character in the teachings of Jesus. "I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (vs 28). And, ".. I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except.." (vs 32). He said in Matt. 6:1, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them." And, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.." (6:19). The Lord knew these things would be a problem for us so He went right to the point.


And there is much in the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) regarding our relationship with our Lord. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.....how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!", (7:7 & 11). He shows us that He loves us with the greatest of Fatherly love, that He takes care of the grass and the birds, "And are you not of more value than they....Therefore do not worry..." And He taught us to pray, and to pray in secret. (6:5), and not to make a show of it like the "hypocrites."

Finally, He concludes all of this teaching by saying, "Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock..." and it stands firm under the greatest of storms. Yes, we need a personal relationship with Jesus....and we need to do what He says.

I saw this quip on a billboard: "A clear conscience is a soft pillow." How true. See you next week.