5 Ways to Truly Enjoy Christ
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I want to ask you a question. Why did Jesus save you? Some might think it’s to take us to heaven or to bless us. While these things are part of it, they are not the main reason. The main reason Jesus saved you is so he could be in a personal relationship with you. I know that may seem overwhelming when you think of who Jesus is and who we are, but it is true. Since Jesus saved you for relationship, how can you make the most of it and truly enjoy Christ?
5 Ways You Can Enjoy Christ
1. Engage His Presence
Enjoying Christ means being able to enjoy his presence. The best way to enter his presence is through worship. Psalm 22:3 says God inhabits the praises of his people. This verse means God sits among the people who praise him. When you worship, you get God's attention, and he draws near to you. The one thing God desires more than anything else is to be close to you. He desires this because he wants you to enjoy his presence.
There are so many Scriptures that invite us into his presence and the beauty of his presence is everything we need is there. You will find joy, peace, comfort, freedom, and the ability to leave every worry and care behind you. If you really want to enjoy Christ, then you must spend time in his presence. Spending time in his presence does not always mean you have to say something. Sometimes sitting silently before him and allowing his Spirit to minister to you is exactly what you need.
You cannot enjoy Christ without being in his presence, so make time for it. You will not regret it.
2. Engage His Promises
Part of building your relationship with Jesus is getting to know what he said and the promises he has made. Sometimes we like to focus on the promises of blessing, but what is greater than those are his promises to be with you. If it is a choice between having the blesser or the blessing, choosing the blesser wins out every time.
One way to really enjoy Christ is to think of the many promises he has made to walk with you through life.
“…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
“So do not fear, for I am with you: do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
I know God has promised to provide and bless and those things are wonderful. But knowing he will be with you is the greatest of all the promises because if he is with you and for you, then who can be against you (Rom. 8:31)? The comfort of knowing there is nothing in this life that can ever separate you from his love sets a foundation for you to love and enjoy Jesus.
3. Engage His Purpose
If you want to enjoy your relationship with Christ, then you need to value the things he values. His purpose for your life and your purpose for your life must align. If these two things don’t agree, then you will never enjoy Christ. Part of his purpose for you is to walk in obedience and avoid sin. There was a period in my life where I allowed sin to rule, which was clearly not in alignment with Jesus’s purpose for my life. I can assure you those were the most miserable times in my life.
I have discovered the best place to be in life is walking in the center of his will. When you know you are doing what God has called you to do, there is a satisfaction and enjoyment that comes that is unmatched by anything else on this earth. This has nothing to do with how much money you make or how successful you are in your career. Those things are not the foundation of enjoying Christ. When you align your life with his purpose, there is no greater joy you will ever experience.
4. Engage His People
You cannot enjoy your life with Christ if you do not engage with and enjoy his people. A friend I know who is married and has two kids recently told me this story. He and his wife were invited to have dinner with another couple. They could find no one to watch their kids and asked if they could bring them. They were told you are welcome, but we don’t really want kids in our house. That dinner never happened.
You cannot say you love Jesus if you don’t love the ones he calls his own. It is simply not possible. Here is how the Bible puts it.
“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” (1 John 4:20).
Let me put this in Clarence language. Don’t tell me you love me but you don’t love my children. That will not fly with me.
If you are going to enjoy Christ, then you must learn to enjoy his people. So often we focus on the warts and imperfections we see in others, and most of the time they are easy to spot. I know mine are. But guess what? So are yours. We are all imperfect people who are reflections of a perfect Christ. Sometimes we get it wrong and mess this up, but as the expression goes, you don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. If you want to enjoy Christ, you cannot separate that from enjoying his people.
By the way, you better get used to his people because you are going to spend eternity with them, so you might as well enjoy them now.
5. Engage His Position
The last thing you need to enjoy Christ is to engage the position he must have in your life. He must be Lord of all. The truth of walking with Jesus is either he is Lord of everything, or he is Lord of nothing. There is no in between. People that never make Jesus Lord of their life never experience the full joy of walking with Jesus. When Jesus is Lord, and he sits at the center of your life, then life takes on a whole new perspective. You will face many of the same challenges, but you will do so with Jesus at the helm of your life. Knowing this alone can free you from anxiety because if he is at the wheel, you will arrive safely wherever he wants you to go.
Build Your Relationship
Enjoying Christ is all about the relationship you share with him, and if you miss this, then you miss it all. The fact is you have someone you can be completely transparent with, who knows everything thing about you good and bad, yet still desires to fellowship with you. This is truly amazing. I encourage you to lean into your relationship with Jesus. Be intentional about spending time with him and make him the center of your life. If you do, you will discover your walk with him will get sweeter and sweeter every day. I will leave you with the words from a song by the Heritage Singers.
“I just keep falling in love with Him
Over and over, and over, and over, again
I keep falling in love with Him,
Over and over, and over and over again
He gets sweeter and sweeter as the days go by,
Oh, what a love between my Lord and I
I keep falling in love with Him
Over and over, and over, and over, again.”
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Olezzo
