As children, many of us were admonished to “be good.” As adults who are seeking Christ, sometimes, that mentality can become a driving force in our lives.
While being a good person is a good goal, if left unchecked, the desire to “be good” can easily turn into perfectionism and legalism… two things Christ specifically warned against. He knew that we could never be perfect or follow all the rules. That’s why He HAD to come to Earth. Only the One person who was able to live a sinless perfect life without blemish could be enough to be the sacrifice to cover ALL the sins of the world.
So, if God isn’t looking for perfection and rule-following from us, what is He looking for? What is it He desires from us? It has always been RELATIONSHIP.
In Genesis, we read that before the fall, God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. In Hebrews, we read that Abraham was counted as a FRIEND of God’s.
In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus further drives this point home, when He told the people, “21) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22) Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23) And then I will declare to them, ‘I never KNEW you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (emphasis added)
According to Jesus, the ONLY way to enter into the Kingdom is to KNOW Him. That means to have a personal intimate relationship with Him. It means that before we call mama, before we call our friends, before we give that person a piece of our mind, we humble our hearts and call the One who holds the future in His hands. We seek His will and His ways… and we operate our lives according to His will.
