The Secret Place of Relationship

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Where can I find the one I love?

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Post Author:  Groveonline

Grove Online’s Blog

Challenging the internal man with external Truth

Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.

 

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Where Is This Secret Place?

This is one of the most famous scriptures because it is full of hope, salvation, assurance, God’s love and concern for us.

Reading it now, I realize that everyone loves to soak up all of it’s hope and promises between forth word and the end of the sixteenth verse.

“He Who Dwells….”

But realize this: the first three words set up the requirements for the other 15 verses to be in effect in your life!   If you don’t meet the requirements at the beginning the rest of the chapter does not apply to you.

If you are not one who dwells in the secret place of the Most High God then you can just stop reading chapter 91 because it doesn’t apply to you.

We have got to dwell there.

So what is this “secret place of the most high”?

It is a growing, correcting, and love based relationship one has with God.

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Works Do Not Create Intimacy

Knowing scriptures is not enough. Isaiah 29:13

Praying every night is not going to do it. Proverb 28:9

Praying in am impressive and educated won’t help you either. Matthew 6:7

Attending church, or having attended church during childhood is not enough. James 1:22

Being able to honestly say you think about God a lot during the day is not enough. James 2:19

Never breaking any of the 10 commandments is not enough. Matthew 19:19-22

Singing passionately during every worship song, raising your hands thinking you felt God is not even enough! 1 Corinthians 13:1

So what is enough?

Relationship!

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Made For Relationship

Relationship is why God made humans. Think about it! It’s why He has put up with thousands of years of human error: so that He could bring about a savior.

And it’s why He allowed the one successful human to die unjustly – so we all could be back in relationship with Him.

Christ came so that we could have a complete and paid for relationship with God our Father.

For those who do have a true relationship with God you will find that all the things listed above will develop naturally as your relationship with God grows deeper and stronger (not the other way around).

The key is that relationship must come first, and then the fruit will follow.

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Marriage = Christianity

Imagine yourself married, after a month of marriage your spouse realizes you leave lights on and toilet seats up wherever you go in the house. Your spouse asks you kindly on different occasions so not do this as it wastes energy, and is not sanitary.

What should you do?

Obey.

Why?

Because you love them and you want to please them.

Now what if you did not marry them out of love but want to fall in love with them and make things right – will you fall in love with them by simply doing the actions of obeying what they say? No, turning lights off and lowering toilet lids will not cause you to love them more than works and acts will ignite love for God. Acknowledging the greatness of His salvation and works of His hand in your past will lead you to love the Lord..

So it is with believers – our actions, lifestyle, and obedience to God are a direct result of the love we have for God.

We act because we love.

We cannot love because we act, this would be religion.

Religion is the opposing force of relationship.

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Obligation or Opportunity

It would be foolish to say that any relationship can have no restraints. Thus in our Christianity, or relationship with God, there certainly are rights and wrongs. There are limitations to our behavior as well as consequences and rewards.

Many falsely interpret this to be religion but it should not be classified as such, it’s the mechanics of a relationship.

Perhaps true Christianity should not even be classified as a world religion, because it isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship.

In our born again minds, “Christianity” and “Relationship with God through Christ” should be synonymous.

Religion requires certain activities in order to make the person good enough for God to love them, it’s performing and it’s external. None of these things are at the heart of a relationship.

1John 4:8 – He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1John 4:9 – In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

1John 4:10 – In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.