Jesus’ primary call is for me to connect with him in a meaningful way.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD? WHAT WORDS DESCRIBE THIS RELATIONSHIP?
HOW DO YOU SHARE YOUR LIFE WITH GOD?
WHAT DO YOU TEND TO FOCUS ON MORE THAN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?
JESUS CAN PLAY MANY ROLES IN OUR RELATIONSHIP TO HIM; SAVIOR, LORD, TEACHER, AND FRIEND. WHAT ROLE DOES JESUS PLAY IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?
If we pose the question, “Why did God create humanity?” Theologians and scholars will give various answers. The Westminster catechism says that “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Often, we may hear that our purpose is to serve God, to help build his Kingdom, and to make his name great. We respond by working hard to fulfill this expectation and gain God’s favor. And while this is certainly what God deserves, what if what God most wants is just to be with us, to connect with us, to walk with us in our daily activities, and to develop a meaningful relationship with us?
The first thing God tells us in Scripture is his account of creation: the earth, vegetation, animals, a pleasant garden, and humankind. The fact that the Bible begins with the story of creation means that it is important. We see in this account that God joins humankind in the garden, connects with them, honors them, meets them even when they choose poorly, and establishes an ongoing relationship with them. Adam and Eve are invited to work (with God) in the garden, even before their sin. So work is not a punishment for their sin, but an opportunity to connect with God in shared activity.
From the first description of God and his relationship with humanity in the creation story to the end of Revelation and throughout all of Scripture, we see God as relentlessly, inescapably, even passionately relational. What if God’s infinite capacity for relational connection caused him to create mankind, in his own relational image, with no other purpose than to simply commune with us? If this is true, then why do we project expectations of doing things for God? It seems that something inside of us, perhaps our brokenness, causes us to think that we must serve God and earn his approval.
Humanity throughout time has held an image of a god who demands service. The Genesis Creation story is told within the greater Ancient Near Eastern mindset, one influenced by its own creation story. The Mesopotamian creation account (Enuma Elish) describes the gods creating humanity so that they wouldn’t need to work. Humans were created to free the lessor gods from their work and to serve them. The story is full of violence and bloodshed, gods fighting and killing other gods, and humanity being created from the blood of a fallen god. Humankind’s role was to serve the gods and keep them happy. We may deride this story, and perhaps the Mesopotamians did also, but the story serves to communicate the core cultural ideas about their image of god, humankind, authority, the justification of violence, and the nature of relationships.
Against this backdrop, the creation account is radically different and gives us a picture of God who is gentle, forgiving, and enjoys being with humankind and sharing his creation with us. God did not create us because he needs our service, he created us because he desires a relationship with us.