Beginning the Week, Again/Relationship with God

Oh boy, it's Monday! Again. It's always a hard day, coming off of another wonderful weekend of just being sewn to my wife's side and hanging out with our daughter all weekend :) I got an A- on my math homework and had a ton of work to do at the office, but other than that, it was not too exciting. We took our family pictures this weekend (they turned out awesome!) and we went to our grandma's house for lunch (who is one of the greatest cooks in the world). And now we are having Monday afternoon downtime. I was talking with my cousin on Facebook, who lives in Vegas, and he told me it's hotter there than it was in Dubai. I told him, Dude, you do know it is nighttime in Dubai right now? He didn't say much after that...But northwest of Vegas is a place called Furnace Creek, California. It is inside of Death Valley National Park and the high for the week there is 121. I love the desert southwest, but that's hot! It might be kind of cool to go there. Ha!

On a completely different note. My wife and I have been talking about our relationships with God lately. And when I got to the office today I read my daily John Eldredge email and he was talking about the different types of relationships we can desire and have with God.

Clay/Potter

Servant/Master

Child/Father

Friend/Friend

Lover/Lover

And he asked the question at the end, what level would you say you put your relationship with Jesus? And why did you choose that level? And although all of these names we take on with God in some form or another in our relationship, all are also Biblical ways of having a relationship with our beautiful God. It's a good question to ask, why that level? Why that relationship? When God offers us everything, why desire what you have with God? And do you desire more? This week I'm growing in Jesus. I'm learning how to pray and be intimate with God in prayer with others. My wife and I are spending a lot of time praying together and it's incredible. John Eldredge talked about the communion of saints in his book Journey of Desire and The Sacred Romance and just how we will know each other completely and rejoice in each other's relationships with God in Heaven. The whole thing of Heaven will be a festival of love between everyone, everyone reflecting God's beauty and his heart. What do you desire with God? Whatever it is, pursue it with all you have. And then when you come together with others you will bring the beauty of that relationship and what you alone know that's special of our God and can reveal it to our family in Christ. Life with Jesus is supposed to be a life of intimacy. A life spent enjoying God's Spirit inside of us and rejoicing in him with our loved ones.

His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life. Ephesians 4:30 (The Message)

How intimate do you want your relationship with God to be though? It's a good question to ask ourselves. Even if we do say our relationship with Jesus is one that the pages of Song of Songs can barely contain, why it would take the city of Verona + Shakespeare + A 100 year old bottle of aged Merlot + burning for God that makes the concept of latin romance blush in shame + Song of Songs = relationship with God [I'm really trying to use dry wit here-btw :) ], if we don't live that out every day, or pursue him sweetly every day and remember him, it's just words. I found that out to be true in my life so many times. To my bitter despair. And it has always needed a loving nudge from Jesus' sweet Spirit to remind me, "Honey, I'm still here. Desire me! Pursue me! I love you!"

It's a good solid Monday thought, I think.