Real Hope: Spiritual DisciplinesEgzanp

All We Need

In Matthew 1:23 we are told that the child born to be King is to be called ‘Immanuel’, which means ‘God is with us’. The essence of the name indicates relationship. God is with us. God wants to be part of our lives, part of everything we are. God wants to share and be part of our prayers and our hopes and our dreams. God wants us to be open and honest with the things we know are wrong in our lives. God wants us to praise Him, and fill our days with worship.

To be close to God takes effort on our part. We can’t sit back and let God do all the work. The Holy Spirit provides the catalyst for our transformation, but we need to spend time reading the Bible; we need to spend time in prayer; we need to serve with open hearts, to give without expecting anything in return.

The verse from Titus tells us that God has given us all we need, in Jesus, to change who and what we are so we can live closer to Him.

If you want a relationship to be successful, you give it your full attention. What about the most important relationship you will ever have? Philippians 3:8 tells us that to truly know Jesus, means letting go of everything from our past, throwing all of it away, and moving forward in a deep and fulfilling relationship with the God who loves you.

Written by CHRIS PARFOOT