"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)
The true meaning of communion is to share. When you are in a relationship with the Holy Spirit you are sharing with Him and He is sharing with you, and there is a sense of communion. This is what Adam and Eve experienced with God at the beginning in the garden of Eden. Every day God would come and walk with them in the garden. Adam and Eve were like superbeings glowing with the glory of God. When they sinned, they fell out of that relationship with the Father, and when God came looking for them, they were hiding because all the glory of God had now gone from them and they were ashamed. This is one of the saddest moments in Scripture because we as humans have fallen out of that relationship which is so deeply nourishing and important and integral to us. Adam and Eve sinned and fell out of the presence of God, so God had to implement the consequences of their disobedience, and it meant separation between Him and us. The entire purpose for Jesus coming into the world is to recover that close relationship that we were destined to have with the Father, with Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit. That relationship in its deepest and most powerful essence happens when we receive Christ as our saviour, and we become born again. We are born of the Holy Spirit, born of God, and we become His children. It is that level of relationship that God is always searching for. That we would not just be friends, but we would be sons and daughters -a family. God has sent Jesus to rid us of our sin and of anything else that would separate us from Him, anything that gets in the way of that relationship with him.
"Come near to God and he will come near to you." James 4:8 (NIV)
All you’ve got to do is draw near to Him, be it in worship, in prayer, or even just sitting quietly and thinking about Him. Take time to draw near to God and you will find that His presence draws near to you. You will feel the peace of God that people are always searching for. When you are walking with Him, you have joy, you have the love of God, you have the faith of the Holy Spirit and you have His peace.
"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
Let’s not seek God for what He can do for us, but let’s seek God for who He is. His is not a throne of judgment, but a throne of grace which pardons us and overlooks the sin in our lives. If we don’t come to him, we can be left in fears about ourselves, worries about God, worries about other people and what they think of us or what’s going to happen in our lives. Let Him speak grace, forgiveness, and peace into your heart. Even when you’ve done wrong, He has mercy that is greater than your sin and forgiveness that’s greater than your mistakes. Come to Him and grace will come to you. You are going to find that He is a very present help to those who are in trouble. God is aching, hungering for a relationship with you. He loves you; He didn’t create you to discard you, dismiss you or judge you; He created you to treat you as a son or a daughter. That you would be in His family, have a relationship with Him, and that you would have communion with the Holy Spirit. Prayer is about relationship. When you pray, you may find yourself wanting more time to be in His presence. You’ll find that his presence in your life will satisfy you and fulfill you in the deepest of ways. Prayer needs to be a habit - a daily practice where we learn what it is to walk with God. Opening up to Him, communing with Him, and talking with Him.
"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9 (NIV)
If you haven’t begun that relationship with the Lord, then reach out to Him today and invite Him into your world.
SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT
- Have you ever had an experience of true deep communion with God? Share/Discuss.
- How do you feel about your daily prayer life? Do you feel it could improve?
- Consider, what would be your next step in having a closer relationship with the Lord?
- Is there anyone in your life that you could reach out to, that needs specific prayer?
