Back to the Basics
Do you ever feel yourself thinking that faith and a relationship with Christ, whether you already have one or not, is a lot of “work?” If you’ve caught yourself thinking that (guilty!), then you aren’t approaching faith, or God Himself, in the right way.
Our faith and relationship with God isn’t about work at all. Sure, we need to put effort into having a quiet time with Him and reading His Word, but the way God views us and loves us has nothing to do with our faith-based works, or lack of.
God is calling me and you to return back to the basics. The basics of reading His Word to simply learn more about His character and our identity in Him. The basics of praying and having those daily conversations with our Father. The basics of stripping all the fluff we add to our relationship with Christ, and simply abiding in His holy presence.
Come as you are right now. Not after you’ve “straightened up” a bit. Enter into His presence again (or, for the first time) and get back to the basics of worshipping our Savior.
Remember the Beginning
Remember when you first accepted Christ as your Savior? When you first entered into a relationship with Him and finally understood what redemption in Him looked and felt like? If it’s been so long since you’ve really reflected on that, it’s time to remember where you began with Christ.
Our beginnings before Christ really all look about the same. Sure, we have different backgrounds, different life experiences, families, etc., but we all start off as broken sinners in need of a perfect Savior. We are all desperate for the same hope that can be found only in Him.
When I think back to the time I was saved, I didn’t fully grasp what a relationship with Jesus meant, but I knew that He loved me and that I wanted to follow Him. Luckily, I had people God placed in my life to teach me, direct me and model for me what a real relationship with Him looked like.
The further along I grow in my faith and relationship with Christ, the more often I remind myself of my beginning. The beginning stages of where I was before my salvation, and all the ways God has helped shape and mold my spiritual maturity over the years. It’s a reminder of not only how far I’ve come, but more importantly, how faithful the Lord has always been and will always be.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
Our Most Important Resource
I will admit that I get really caught up sometimes in the extra fluff of building a relationship with Christ. I’m drawn to the pretty and useful tools to enhance my time with Him. Give me all the study books, journals, highlighters and anything else that looks appealing to my quiet time with Him.
The danger is not in these tools, but the way we tend to put those things before the actual character of God and who He is without all those extra things clouding over that. If you and I want to experience a deeper relationship with Him, gain more spiritual wisdom and discernment, and dive into the Bible with more understanding, the best place to go is directly to Him. Our God is the creator of the whole universe. He is Lord over all, therefore, He can help reveal His truths to us better than any book, website or resource ever could.
Please don’t hear me say Biblical resources are bad in any way. They are extremely helpful in our study of God and His Word, but they are never meant to replace God Himself. He is our ultimate resource, and turning to Him and asking Him to reveal Himself and His wisdom to us across the pages of our Bibles, is the most important “tool” we have access to.
Don’t fill your quiet time with so many things to check off your daily to-do list, that you forget to actually abide in the presence of God. I am more than guilty of this, and it’s so important that we return to the basics of simply loving God and wanting to know Him more deeply. Allow Him to guide your time together, and not the other way around.
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:5
Fix Your Focus
We live in a world FULL of distractions, and it’s so easy to lose focus of what is most important. This is true even when it comes to our quiet time or overall relationship with God. It can be easy to fret about what time with the Lord should look like, how much time we spend with Him, what resources we use, etc. The fact of the matter is that God just wants us to draw near to Him. He isn’t concerned if our notes look nice and tidy in our journals, or if we understood perfectly what our Bible commentary spoke of, or even if we spend one hour versus 5 minutes in our quiet time.
He’s just concerned that we’re with Him, learning and growing in Him. I used to worry that I wasn’t writing my notes correctly in my Bible. What if I didn’t fully understand that passage, or what if it means something very different than what I thought? Don’t let those thoughts plague your mind. Instead, ask God to lead you in your understanding and help you pull out the truths you most need to know. He doesn’t expect perfection from us. In fact, He knows we can’t be perfect, so come to Him instead with a humble heart, hungry to know Him more deeply.
God is faithful in all His ways and all He does, so He will faithfully lead our time and relationship with Him. Be patient with yourself. Spiritual growth isn’t easy or something that happens overnight. Our spiritual growth and relationship with the Lord is an evolving thing that we can and should continually work at. We can’t do that apart from Him though.
We must fix our focus to what matters most: our Father. Let’s turn to Him each and every day and ask Him to guide and lead us in our daily lives. Following Christ was never meant to be easy, but is more fulfilling than anything else we can imagine. It’s time we go back to the basics and return to the Lord with full expectancy and admiration.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18
Suggestions for Getting Back to the Basics
- Read and meditate on one verse per day/week (keep it simple)
- Pray Daily – Talk with God, share your highs and lows, ask for guidance, give thanks
- Listen to one worship song each day
- Do a daily devotional
Try some of these ideas out if you feel like you’re in a rut, and overwhelmed with everything happening around you. These are simple ways to turn your attention back to God and remind you of who He is, and who you are in Him.
Let’s go “Back to the Basics!”
