Here is an interesting thought. We tend to think of eternal life as the part of our existence that begins after our deaths. (How’s that for paradox. Existing after death.) And we think of relationship as affecting our current life. Yet Jesus said that eternal life is knowing God. (If anyone wants the specific quotation, let me know.) In other words, eternal life is our relationship with God.

So, the gospel, which most people associate with avoiding hell, is about our relationship with God. Our relationship concerns how we live now. If A= B and B = C, then the gospel really is about how we live our life now. (Just be thankful that our now is going to last a very, very, VERY long time.)

God wants us to have a life of relationship with him, resulting in people taking steps of obedience, resulting in fruit. Distortions in the gospel can occur when people add to how we enter into a relationship with God. This can also occur in how when practice that relationship.

God may proclaim a fast and we need to heed his voice. Someone else may proclaim a fast. God may or may not call us to participate in it. Our relationship comprises what optimizes our connection with God. Agreement with and participation in a good thing will not bring us closer to God. Still, God may call us into agreement with this good.

The gospel is not just about avoiding hell. This is about how to establish and live out a relationship with God. This gospel is about living in ways that:

• glorify God
• are free and truly human
• completely from our hearts, and
• fully joyful.

Being a Christian is more that avoiding hell and merely being good.

If we are serious about communication with the Creator of the universe, Lord of all. If we open ourselves to him, receiving his whispers into our hearts, it is a very frightening proposition of what he could say to us.

Only a conviction that the mercy of God is vast and he takes that into consideration in all his interactions with us.

There are the stars. The moon. Sunsets. Rainbows. Ice into water into steam. Geese flying in gigantic V's. Atoms that should fly apart holding together. Caterpillars transforming into butterflies inside cocoons. The moving tides. Leaves turning color, falling off and budding in the spring. Babies forming in the womb.

In view of all this wonder, who is man that God in mindful of him? And not only mindful, but pursuing. engaging in relationship. revealing his heart and his secrets.

When we consider relationship with God, it is hard to fathom that God loves us. God will come to us Himself.

People used to approach God through the leaders — Moses, and then the Levitical priesthood. Then, people use to approach God through Jesus. When Jesus returned to the Father, the Spirit of God came to take residence in our hearts — because the Father Himself loves us.

So, He wants to care for us, abide with us, be close to us and have fellowship with us. His communication will not be through any intermediary. It will be directly to us. Relationship with God takes a quantum lead nearer.

Importance of Relationship

There was a writer who began giving a poetic description of some of the world's wonders. Kind of like:

Sunsets and rainbows. Geese flying in gigantic V's. A caterpillar spinning a caccoon, and emerging transformed into a butterfly. The moving tides. Leaves changing color, falling off trees, and then budding again in spring. Stars and planets racing through their courses in space. Two small seeds combining and growing into a human being. All the atoms of the universe should fly apart. But they hold together.

Then he asks the question, in the face of all this wonder "who is man that you are mindful of him?" Not only does God think about us, but He pursues us. He engages in relationship. He reveals His heart and His secrets.

After creating wonders, what God wants is to be your friend. It is very hard to get your head around something like that.