I’ve had the great privilege over the years to be a part of many different prayer groups. Admittedly some were more enjoyable than others, and some were much more blessed than others, but each had a value and a purpose and touched my life in some way. And it was in these groups that I also had the opportunity to listen to many different people as they engaged in the most favorable of all states: prayer – communication and communion with God; and this is where I proceeded to hear many things… many different approaches, attitudes and formalities that people had about God and about prayer. And through it all, I came to realize one thing in-particular… one thing that I want to share with you today, one thing that the scriptures make very clear: that prayer is not a formal or mysterious thing. Rather, prayer is specifically, communion and communication with God. And what I want to share with you today, is what the communion and what this communication is really about, and what it looks like, and how you do not have to stand on formality with God – because He is your Father who loves you.
What does it mean to “Spend time with Jesus”? You may have heard that phrase before, and wondered the same thing. After all, Jesus is up in Heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father, according to Colossians 3:1, and many other verses. Of-course we also know that God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). How does this inform us regarding our time with Him? Many times, I have heard people say that spending time with Jesus is engaging in religious activity, such as attending church services, or Christian conferences; completing reading plans, or any of the other things that we generally consider to be religious behaviors. In this study today, I would like to share with you a different perspective… one that may be a bit uncomfortable at first, and may require you to take a step back from the common idea of what spending time with Jesus is, and see it in a different light – a light not based on a religious checklist, but instead based on relationship, with a God who gave everything to restore you.