Anonymous Asks (272)

“How would you describe a relationship with God to an unsaved person?”

There are probably more ways to talk about a relationship with God than most unsaved people really want to hear, so I tend to try to keep my descriptions short and in the plainest language I can come up with, always hoping they may lead to further questions.

A Serious Christian

I had a conversation like this about six months ago with an unsaved friend. We were talking about the romantic prospects of a Christian friend of mine. I mentioned in passing that finding an appropriate partner in one’s forties is not easy because everyone that age has baggage. Then I added, “And he would be looking for a serious Christian, which makes it tougher.”

She asked, “What do you mean by ‘serious Christian’?”

I thought about that for a second, then said something like this: “Not someone who just goes to church out of habit or duty; someone who makes every important decision by asking ‘What would the Lord want me to do?’ ”

“Oh,” she said. “That will definitely reduce his options.”

Yes, precisely.

What Does That Look Like?

I tend not to talk about “a relationship with God” if I can avoid it. “God” means lots of things to lots of people (ask Jordan Peterson about that), and I like to be as specific as possible. I entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ when I trusted him to pay the price for my sins, and the Father forgave everything I have ever done that had put distance between me and the hope of heaven. I also resolved to abandon the bad habits of my former way of life with his help. He granted me the promise of eternal life, sent the Spirit of Christ to live inside me, and introduced me to a spiritual family of other believers who also call God “Father”.

What does a daily relationship with the Father and Son look like? It comes back to that conversation with my friend. I try to make every major (and sometimes minor) decision by asking “What would the Lord want me to do here?” So Christianity is not just a Sunday thing for me, it affects every moment of my life.

At least, it does when I’m doing it right.

The ‘Routine’

The first thing I do every day before I get out of bed is read my Bible in order to become increasingly familiar with God’s purposes and his ways (Father and Son are alike in this), and to remind myself what sort of behaviors please him. Then I go for a walk and pray my way around the neighborhood, asking the Lord to take my day and make use of it for his purposes, to keep me from sinning against him, to help me become more like the Lord Jesus, and to make himself known and honored in the lives of my family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and acquaintances. I ask him to make this world more like heaven, where everything obeys his will. I tell him about each choice I have been offered since the last time I prayed, and try to discern what he might want me to do, based on what I have learned about him from my Bible reading.

When you call someone Lord, that’s how it is. It means you always try to do what they would want, and obey the instructions you have been given. When I fail at obeying (which happens frequently), the same Christ who paid the price for my sins appeals to his Father to forgive me because I belong to him. The Father loves the Son, so this works every time.

There’s much more to it, of course, but that’s basically how it looks to me.