Religion Didn't Work for Me
When I was single, my relationship with Jesus was mostly “religious.” It was very mechanical — not intimate or personal at all.
So, I continued to drift until I had a personal crash and burn situation that really left me desperate for more.
My heart was a broken mess. Religion wasn’t working. What I wanted was intimacy: I wanted to fall in love with Jesus.
So, here’s what I did: I prayed! I prayed that I would fall in love with Jesus. I prayed it every night. I also grabbed my Bible, climbed into my bed and started to read every night. I read and I listened, and then I prayed the things that I read.
I prayed to love reading my Bible, to want to read it more. I prayed to hunger and thirst for Him. I prayed to hear His voice. As I read, I prayed to know Him better and I prayed to want more of Him, to want more of His love — more than anything else.
When I was reading God’s Word, His words spoke to me. His Word was what I responded to — and the way I responded was to talk to Him about what He was saying, because that’s what prayer is! It’s talking to God, having meaningful conversation and deep abiding communion with God.
So now, I talk to Him about everything. Sometimes, I talk out loud and sometimes it’s just from my heart. Sometimes, it’s when I’m driving or taking a walk, or even at the grocery store!
And that’s how it happened! I fell in love with Jesus, by reading my Bible and spending time with Him and talking to Him as I read His Word. No special event or conference or church service (although those are all very good things), no magic words, no empty promises. Just me and Jesus. In His Word. In my ordinary home.
Reading. Listening. Responding.
Are you in love with Jesus? Remember, this takes intentional time to develop.
This article appeared originally on punkytolson.com.
