Relationships & Foundations

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you, Away from me, you evildoers!'
~ Matthew 7:21-23

I read this tonight and wondered, if that day was to come today, what would Jesus say to me? I know it is truly all about a relationship, so how is my relationship with the Lord? If I was to meet Him face to face would He claim to know me or would he respond with "Away from me!"

The next verses in Matthew are the story Jesus told of two men building homes. One built on a rock and the other built their house on the sand. When the storms came the house built on the rock is the one that remained standing. The emphasis of course is the foundation on which we build our lives. Do we build it on the shifting sands of this world or on the Rock of Jesus. I started to ponder this in my life as well.

As I pondered this and wrote the above in my journal, I received a notification of new email. It was a daily devotional to which I've subscribed. The opening words of the email were "How is your spiritual walk? Do you spend enough time with God that you are happy with your relationship with Him?" It goes on to encourage us to make time with God and nurturing that relationship a priority in our lives.

At another point in the devotional it says "Our relationship with God is foundational to the rest of our lives. His working in our lives makes or breaks the quality of our lives and our ability to love and serve others."

This past week I've been part of a group who has been fasting, looking for direction from the Lord regarding the new year and what the Lord has in store for us and our families. What direction He wants us to take in the upcoming year. This is clearly part of the answer for me. Maybe this is the entire answer for me.

I've often told others that the whole "God thing" is not about religion or rules. It is about a relationship. If we can get that figured out the rest will all fall into place. I guess it is time for me to live this out more fully myself. Obviously the Lord wants me to work on my relationship with Him, to ensure the foundation of my life is the Rock of Jesus. Everything else in my life and that of my family will fall into place if I make my relationship with the Lord my top priority.