Building a Relationship Takes Effort

The end of Luke, Chapter 18, reveals a short but simple story that spoke to me today. Remember, as Jesus drew near Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the side of the road begging. He heard a crowd coming by and asked them what was happening. They told him that “Jesus the Nazarene is passing by.” Well, that news got his attention.

Immediately, he began yelling at the top of his lungs, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those in front of him turned and began telling him to keep quiet, but he didn’t listen.

Is anyone telling you to be quiet and sit down in your pursuit of a relationship with the Lord? Do what this man did. Do not stop pursuing a relationship with Jesus for anything. Nothing in this world compares to knowing the Savior who loves you so much that He paid a heavy price for your sin and mine.

So, the blind man kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” Sure enough, Jesus heard the man and came close to him and restored his sight. “Receive your sight,” he said. “Your faith has healed you.”

When you pursue the Lord, He will be found. Keep calling out! Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” What kind of relationship on Earth compares to one with the Son of God?

Early in Chapter 19, you find the story of Zacchaeus. Remember the “wee little man?” He wanted to find out more about this Jesus, but he was a tiny guy. Remember being a smaller child who couldn’t see over the crowd to watch the parade go by? I sure do. Well, Zacchaeus was in the same boat. He couldn’t see over the crowd to get a glimpse of the Teacher.

He wanted to see Him so badly that Zacchaeus climbed up in a tree and hung out over the road. And look at what chasing after the Lord got Zacchaeus. The most important dinner guest a human being would ever have.

And look at what a relationship with Jesus results in. A changed life. Zacchaeus immediately told Jesus that “I’ll give half my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have exhorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much!”

Please understand that Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector in Jericho, which meant he was hated by everyone in and out of the city walls. He was a Jewish man working for the Roman government, which made him a traitor in their eyes and a target of their anger. But his actions made that hatred even stronger. Tax collectors routinely swindled and stole much more money than they were legally owed by citizens, so this little man had a lot to make up for.

Now, don’t get lost in the details. Don’t think of the possessions and paying back four times as much as was taken. That little man’s heart was changed, and it resulted in changed actions. That’s why I know Christianity is real, Jesus is real, and God is real. Lives that come into contact with Jesus are changed, and some are changed quite drastically.

I get this question a lot: How do you build a relationship with the Lord? Let me ask this: how do you build a relationship with another human being? By spending time with them. By getting to know them.

Spend time with Him. Read His Word. Do you know how much wisdom, strength, and instruction there is for living your life in these 66 books? You will get to know who the Lord God is through His Word.

Spend time in prayer. He’s like any earthly father you can think of: I love hearing from my kids, and He wants to hear from you too!

Worship music is big for me. It keeps my focus where it should be, even if I’m just getting through a normal day’s work. There’s power in the name of praising Jesus every day. Don’t just limit your praise to an hour every Sunday. That’s not how you build a relationship.

The moral of the story is to let nothing stop you from pursuing a relationship with Jesus, especially other people. He will be found when you seek Him with all your heart.

Blessings!