<h1>The Relationship</h1>

Leviticus 9/Luke 5

            The fact that God asks anything of us shows the level of intimacy that He wants to have with us. The depth of any relationship is measured in how high the expectations are. If you don’t believe that to be true look at the different labels we have for non-family members. You have strangers, acquaintances, friends, buddies, best friends, bros, boys, significant others etc. We label people by how close they are to us and the closer they are the more we expect from them.  This isn’t mean spirited; it isn’t unreasonable, it is the very nature of relationships.

The Man (Johnny Cash) and Wife. 

            Look at a good marriage. Each member gives 100% of themselves. There is no 50/50. It is all or nothing. God often equates our relationship with Him to a marriage. My wife has higher expectations for me then anybody else on the planet. Are these expectations given out of distrust or hate? No, they are given out of love and intimacy. These expectations show the difference between love and like.

God is not out of line in asking us to love and serve Him. He created us, we goofed, and He saved us. He has put Himself 100% in this relationship multiple times. He has proven to us that He cares. Jesus modeled the level of expectation in the relationship God wants with us. God is not unjust. God is not a tyrant. He leads by example. God loves us all and with that love comes expectations. The expectations don’t save us but they show how He feels about us and how He wants us to feel about Him.

Why is it so hard for us to look at our relationship with God this way? We have super high expectations for Him. If anything bad happens we say, “Why did you do that?” When we don’t like what He has for us we say, “You could’ve done better.” When He gives us His expectations we say, “No, I’m philosophically opposed to that, so You’re wrong.” Why can’t we look at God’s example, what He’s done and just say, “Thanks”?

Relationships are always messy. The deeper the relationship is the bigger the mess will be. God knows this. God knows that the intensity of our relationship with Him will cause some sparks and spilled milk. The question to pose is where will we be standing after the smoke clears: closer or further?

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