The impact of personal relationships with Jesus Christ

Let’s be real. How many people have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a personal relationship with the Almighty, or perhaps a personal experience with the Holy Spirit? These terms are pretty easy to understand when it comes to experiences in the natural world. We can all attest to having personal relationships with other people. They are wonderful, they are painful, and sometimes they are traumatic, but make no mistake; they are real and personal. In my examples, these relationships shape our character and define us as people. Real and deeply personal relationships not only define us, they can also determine the course of our lives long after they are over. Your relationships with your mother, brother, lover, wife or friend can and do leave lasting impressions that, with their consequences in life, are not far behind. How we deal with and recover from personal relationships allows us to become who we truly are. If you can share these monumental moments with others, you are an extremely lucky individual. Most of us keep them in our secret places to treasure, value or despise on our own.

Isn’t it interesting that much of the path to salvation and enlightenment begins with the personal experience of what people call being saved, called, and accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? I understand this is confusing for the uninitiated. How can you have a personal experience? How can you have a personal relationship with someone who is invisible, untouchable, dead for over two thousand years? But now, if you have a real relationship with someone who has died or is no longer in your life, you too can testify that they have had, have, and will continue to have a profound impact on your being as a person. Even now, you are responding to the knowledge of how that person might view certain behaviors that you would not want any of us to know you were engaging in. You know whether that person will be proud of you or embarrassed for you. This is the truth. It is personal and it is the same with God Almighty.

We begin this personal journey by believing in Jesus, believing in His divinity, trying to live according to His word, recognizing His divinity, understanding His sacrifice, and much more. You can’t have a personal relationship with anyone until you truly understand where they are coming from and then respond to them. This is also a fact. Only a fool can form a deeply personal relationship with a stranger. Only a fool would submit to the compromise of someone he met yesterday. How often have you spent a sinful time with someone who turned out to be a complete stranger? I guess I’m saying that most of us don’t know God because we’re looking for Him. We do not study Him. We do not know Him. A personal relationship with God is measured not by how often you go to church, but by how deeply His will touches you. If you don’t believe me, ask Saul: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting…now arise…” Acts 9:5-6.

May God bless and protect you always.

This column is excerpted from James Washington’s book, Spiritually Speaking: Reflections for and from a New Christian. You can purchase this enlightening book from Amazon and begin your journey towards spiritual enlightenment.

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