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27:9 'DESIRE'


 
Photo Credits: KilographyKE
In the previous blog post I stated that “the basics of Christianity such as prayer,worshipful obedience and humble repentance play a fundamental role in building pillars that will weather the seasons of life in friendships and relationships.” I recently realized that there were specific fundamentals necessary for building thriving soul-level relationships with others. There is a bible verse we many times mention when talking about God’s love and our relationship with others;
“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-40 (NKJV)
If you are keen, you will notice, that before Jesus even talks about others, He presents loving God first and then loving ourselves. The soul level begins with God, then with you, before it is directed to any other individual. I think therefore it is right to say, that the greatest and most important thing you can do for a thriving soul-level relationship with others, is love GOD first—with all your heart and soul and mind. The second is to love yourself too. You cannot relate on a soul level without understanding your own soul. Let’s talk more about the first for now.
Too many times we are busy giving forms of love rather than really loving. It is because we have not quite experienced the very lives we ought to, having spent time with God. I believe that our desires are valid, but not every one of them is to be met. Perhaps we need to take time and reconsider our desires and evaluate if they are right. The soul-level has to start with getting the right desire met-and that right desire is a hunger for God. A longing beyond material needs; a desire for a thriving relationship with God. God is the source, and when the source is overflowing, then that which surrounds it, drinks from it and shares with others.
How you treat others is an outward manifestation of how you treat yourself, but did you know that it also reflects ultimately how you treat God? That is, if you profess to be in relationship with Him? If what you share with the masses is out of deficiency, then soon, time will prove its fallibility. It is in thinking and pondering over this that I was challenged to review who God really is to me. It is evidently true that “Many know the need of man; few know the need of Christ” (A. J. Russell, God Calling). In friendships and particularly relationships, we have these pet names we gradually grow into and get comfortable calling each other. I’m not suggesting we give God pet names (that would be weird) but what if we spent time with God long enough to grow into calling Him all that He is? Do we even know who He is? Do we know Him by name?
The Message version of Romans 8:15-17 brings it home for us this way;
“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who He is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!”
Who is God to you? Who have you known Him to be? I’ve known Him to be my peace among many other things that He is to me. I call Him my provider (John 6:33) and the lover of my soul (Psalm 73:25). Call Him by name. You know who you are by identifying with who made you. And to identify with Christ requires communion with Him in prayer and in reading His word. The scriptures all through have portions that give us the names of God. Highlight them. Memorize them. Take the one that resonates with you and run with it. Call God by His name. Below is a sample of names that God is;

God is not far-fetched. We carry Him in our spirits. He isn’t just near-He’s right here. It is for us to call out His name often. You develop a liking for something/someone you spend time with. Could we purpose therefore to spend time with God? Could we habitually walk in the Spirit alongside others who strive to make God proud? The walk of salvation is not easy, but neither is it impossible. All we need has been given to us (2 Peter 1:3). It is for us therefore to make every effort to daily pursue the very life we aspire.
So I challenge you today, call God by His name. And if that is hard, the name ‘JESUS’ is more than enough. Call it! Speak it! Declare it! Acknowledge it! Praise the name of Jesus.
Because there is power in the name of Jesus.

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