What It Is—and Isn’t—to Be in Relationship with Jesus
John 17:3 — “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Matthew 7:21–23 — “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…”
Galatians 4:6 — “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father.’”
James 2:19 — “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”
1 John 4:16 — “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.”
Romans 8:15 — “You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption.”
A relationship with Jesus is not:
A transaction (“If I do this, God gives that”)
A religious routine (prayers, church, tithing without heart)
A crisis hotline (only calling when you’re desperate)
Moral self-improvement (“being good” to earn favor)
It is:
Intimacy over performance
Presence over provision
Knowing and being known
Walking with Him—even when the path is unclear
Jesus doesn’t want your résumé. He wants your heart. Not your perfection—your honesty. Not your success—your surrender. This is not religion. It’s kinship. Not duty. It’s delight.
Lyrics by Zeb of Virginia Beach Church
from his song “My Old Fighting Ways”
When Troubles befall me When people take aim
To get under my skin and stake out their claim
although I know better now
for you have showed me the way
I’ve still not forsaken my old fighting ways.
Vindictive and petty they play out their games
for no real advantage not fortune nor fame
and when they do cross me I should just think of Your Name
but instead I’m consumed by my old fighting ways
My old fighting ways, My old fighting ways
Oh Lord let me be free, of my old fighting ways
when the enemy strikes you said turn the other cheek
You said struggles of this world will be shed by the meek
but when evil appears to darken my days
In my veins I feel stirring my old fighting ways
Oh Lord you have changed me
in so many ways
I look in the mirror
and don’t know my own face
its lighter and brighter but the devil still stays
knowing I will slip back into my old fighting ways
I should just rebuke him and always send you my praise
I know if I do that he will just run away
but he always knows his next move
he knows the tricks of his trade
with which he can conjure up in me
my old fighting ways
I fight and I fight on rare occasion I win
I’m knocked to the mat then I’m up and fighting again
when all I could want the Lord would send my way
if I could only let go of my old Fighting ways
You have filled me with joy a new creature I am
in your light I am centered in your truth I do stand
and so I do pray Lord as the only price I can pay
someday I’ll leave buried my old fighting ways
Lord, strip away every false idea I’ve had of You. Help me relate to You not as a distant deity, but as my Abba, my Brother, my Friend. Let me rest in being loved—not in trying to be worthy. Amen.
Painterly vertical image: pre-dawn light spilling into a quiet living room, a man sitting alone on a worn couch, head in hands, a single open Bible on the coffee table, warm golden glow from a streetlamp outside casting long shadows—intimate, raw, yet peaceful; no darkness on the figure, no text, no religious props.
DR, RelationshipWithJesus, John173, NotReligion, KnowHim, DailyRedemption, AbbaFather, FaithNotPerformance
#DailyRedemption #RelationshipWithJesus #John173 #NotReligion #KnowHim #AbbaFather #FaithNotPerformance #BibleTruth
“Not a Transaction—A Relationship”
LEO used to treat Jesus like a cosmic vending machine:
Pray → Get blessing. Skip church → Bad week.
Then his business failed.
His prayers went “unanswered.”
And he snapped: “I did everything right!”
But one night, exhausted, he whispered, “I don’t even know who You are anymore.”
And in the silence, something shifted—not a voice, but a presence.
Like a friend sitting beside him in the dark.
He realized:
Relationship with Jesus isn’t about performance.
It’s not a contract. Not a ritual. Not a rescue-only service.
It’s knowing Him—and being known.
Even when nothing changes…
He stays.
“This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ…” — John 17:3
