Several years ago, in a contemplative prayer group, an older gentleman asked, “What percentage of Christians do you think have a personal relationship with Jesus?” He went on to say that he had grown up in the Church, attended regularly, taught Sunday School and had been a deacon and elder for years. He had always led a good Christian life. Only recently had something happened that led him to having a relationship, a personal connection, to Jesus. That relationship. he said, made all the difference in the world and seemed far more “valuable” to him than his years of Christian living.
As someone who came to faith during the charismatic “Jesus movement” of the 1970s, I listened in amazement. When he originally asked the question, I answered in my head, “100%, that’s what being a Christian means – having a personal relationship with Jesus.” I had a personal relationships with Jesus long before I lived anything resembling a Christian life. Despite being raised in the church and having a “born again” experience, I struggled with demons in my twenties and often lost. It was through the Spirit’s urging that I started going to church again and found Christian friends and was given the strength to oust the demons.
So I asked myself, “Do you have to have a personal relationship with Jesus to be a Christian?” I had always thought so, but my older friend apparently considered such a relationship a bonus not a requirement. I will duck this question. Because, fortunately, it is not up to me to say. I am not the judge, God is. I can say unequivocally that having a personal relationship with Jesus helps.
Do you have to have a devotional time to develop a relationship with Jesus? No, Jesus and I talked long before I set aside specific times to talk with Him. But that was Him pursuing me. At some point, I wanted to start pursuing Him. He loved me, and I fell in love in return. I wanted to learn how to show Him I loved Him, so I spent time asking Him what He wanted and reading His love letters (the Bible) for clues.
Do you have to have a garden to get your vegetables? Obviously not. You can get your fruits and vegetables from the store, just as you can get all the Christian nourishment you need from the Church. But we do need fruits and vegetables, and we do need Christian nourishment. We do need to connect to Jesus the Vine (John 14) in order to grow and thrive and bear the Spirit’s fruit. (Gal. 5).
I have found that I eat more vegetables when I grow them than I do when I have to buy them from the store. They are always at hand. I could eat cucumber sandwiches in the winter, but I don’t buy the cucumbers to make it happen. In the summer, there are always cucumbers sitting on the table, so I eat them regularly. Same with tomatoes. Same with God.
If we train ourselves to encounter God only in corporate settings (Bible studies, Church), then we encounter God far less often than if He is “sitting on the table” (at home, available anytime).
So if you want to eat more veggies, grow a garden. If you want to develop a closer relationship with Jesus, encounter Him alone, at home, intentionally.
The Victory Garden 