Intimacy not Obligation

As I write this blog, my heart is so desperate for the intimacy of God. It is so easy as Christians today to read our Bible and pray out of a sense of obligation or because I just have to do it. Believe me I have been there, and that kind of attitude or thought process is discouraging, frustrating and powerless. Our walk with Jesus is not a "have to" but it should come out of an intimate hunger for him. Having to spend time with God will never develop the intimacy we all need with Jesus. Without intimacy with Christ, we will never know him; his thoughts, his heart, what makes him cry, what makes him laugh, how he sings over us, how much he loves us. Don't you want to know that about God. I am so hungry to feel the tears, laughs, groans, songs, and arms of God. I want to be John who layed his head against the chest of Jesus. I want to be Peter who felt the forgiveness of Christ on the shore of a lake after denying him three times. I want to be John the Baptist, who saw the face of the Savior after preaching his coming for years. I want to be Mary who felt the kicks of our loving savior in her womb. I want to be the roman soldier at the cross who came to the revelation that Jesus was the Savior. want to be the beggar, the crippled, the dead, who felt the touch of Jesus and were healed in his name. I want to be the men on the road to Emmaeus whose eyes were opened after Jesus broke bread with them. I want to be the woman who broke open her alabaster box and with her tears and her hair she washed the feet of Jesus. I want to be Stephen who saw Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. I want to be Jacob, who persevered and wrestled with that angel until he received the promise of becoming Israel and fathering the 12 tribes. I want to be Moses, who on top of a mountain, prayed fervently until the Glory of God was imparted to him. I want to be David, who sung and danced before you. I want to be Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego who felt your presence with them in the fire. I want to be Elijah who saw your fire come down from heaven. Don't you want to be intimate with Christ today. You see, there is so much more to God than 15 minutes of reading your Bible and praying. Today, start filling your spirit with things of God. Instead of going to see a movie, read a book about Him. Instead of listening to music that has no meaning, start listening to praise and worship. Start listening to men and women of God teach and speak on hm. Instead of turning the radio on in your car, invite the quietness of his voice and spend some time with Him. Instead of video games, dance before him and let his joy flood your soul. Rather than vegging in front of the TV, kneel in his presence. Feeling obligated to read your Bible and pray comes out of a spirit that has been filled with other things than his presence. Start filling your spirit with the things of God on a daily basis, then your hunger will grow to be intimate with Him