Studies

Building Your Relationship With God

Let's talk about good family relationships.
What are some of the strongest memories you have of your father from your youth ?

What was your image of him ? How close were you to him?

How would you describe the father you would like to have had (maybe, did have) ?
[Loving, Available, Wise, Helpful, Forgiving, Fun, Protective, good Listener, Strong]

Let's see what we can learn from the relationship that Jesus had with his Father in heaven.

Mark 14: 32-36
Note 'Abba, Father'. In Matt. 26: 39 version, only 'My Father' is used.

What does 'Abba' mean ?
[It's an informal Aramaic word, best translated as an intimate 'Daddy' or 'Pops']

Jesus spoke in Aramaic but both Mark's and Matthew's gospels were written in Greek.
Why do you think Mark used both words, 'Abba' and 'Father' ?
[To stress both his close affection and his respect for his Father]

What else does this passage tell us about the relationship Jesus had with his Father ?
[He was close, trusting, obedient, humble, reliant]

Do you think he saw God in the same way we described our 'ideal father' ?

What image do you have of God, our Father in heaven ?

How close is this to the image you had as a youngster of your earthly father ?

Do you have the same feelings toward God of closeness, affection, respect, reliance, trust and obedience that Jesus had toward his Father ? Why ? Why not ?

How can we develop this close relationship with God ? Let's look at …

Romans 8: 13-17
Paul is saying that we can become part of God's own family but only if we do certain things. What must we do for a start ?
[Put the sins of the world behind us]

When do we receive the 'Spirit of God' that helps us to put sin and fear behind us ?
[Acts 2: 38 says we receive the 'Gift of the Holy Spirit' when we are baptised]

How does our baptism change the way we can approach God ?
[We can approach him in prayer as a young child, without fear and with confidence, with familiarity, calling him 'Daddy', knowing that we are part of his family]

How can we then expect God to respond to our prayers ? Let's look at …

Matthew 7: 7-11
This is what God gives to his children when they ask him.

And, just like our parents, what does God expect us as his children to do in return ?
[Be humble, respect him, trust him, listen and obey him, try to please him always]

How consistent were we in maintaining these attitudes toward our own parents as we grew up ?

As God's children, will we be able to learn this consistency in our attitudes toward God on our own ?

So where can we get the help we need ?
[From reading the Bible, from studying with someone who knows God's Word better than ourselves, from group discussions like this one, from sharing with othres who have experienced spiritual growth opportunities and challenges similar to our own]