Having a Mature Relationship with Jesus in the Spiritual Life

Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. As such, he is due special attention and praise. He is alone among human beings. As true God and man, Jesus exists as one of us, but something more. He is the source and summit of our life. He is our beginning and end.

It is right and just that we should honor Jesus in a way that we do for no other human being. Indeed, we owe him more than honor. We owe him worship. We must honor and worship our Lord in a way that is fitting for a supernatural love and God. The only way we can love and serve God is through Jesus. We look to Jesus for our definition of good and evil. We look to Jesus for help in our daily crosses. We look to Jesus to show us the way.

A mature relationship with Jesus must acknowledge his superiority. He is better than you or I. It is only by his grace that we are invited to be equal with him. Jesus does not want us to be afraid of him. Fear is the natural response to the distance between God and the human person. He invites us to journey with him. He has made known his love and mercy. He has emptied himself to the point of death. Jesus wants us to choose life. He offers us his life so that we may live abundantly and our cup may overflow.

This type of life is available only through the new covenant. It is by his cross and resurrection that we have life. It is by choosing to drink his cup that we share in his passion. Once baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, there is a connection that spans earthly life. This mark of the soul is eternal. We are responsible for living well in the name of the Holy Trinity – this is what makes us Christians. The Holy Spirit allows us to remain in the love of Jesus and return this love back to him.

Our journey with Jesus is a relationship that is ongoing. We make decisions. We rise or fall. We hope to be with him in Heaven someday. We must never become too focused on success and wealth. Virtue helps us attain personal development and growth. We know that we should form good habits and avoid evil.

Jesus is our true friend. He is loyal, compassionate, and kind. He understands our needs and wants. He understands humanity and creation better than anyone else. It is his purpose to help us live well and inherit eternal life. He desires we know what we are doing and choosing. He desires our happiness through successful living in the world. We cannot redefine happiness and success. There is no contradiction in God. To redefine happiness and success is to separate ourselves from God.

The spiritual life and material world are intimately connected. God did not send his only Son into the world to destroy the world, but to give it life.

God entrusts us with subduing the earth. We must practice self-control. We must be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. We must not take this for granted. It is always true, no matter how many times we read or hear it. And no matter how many times we read or hear that Jesus is the way, the truth, and life—it is always new! So, we should rejoice and be glad in the day that the Lord has made!