(3.7 min read – 590 words)

What does God really want from us? If He expressed His top desire in one word, what would it be?

In today’s Clarion Letters, we will answer that question.

The gospel of Jesus Christ was recently celebrated by billions across the globe. And rightly so. But what is the essence of the good news? If we zoom out we get the big picture. We see God’s main desire for the world is…

…Connection!

Connection is the act of joining or being joined to something else. Connection is relationship. Jesus dedicated His life to removing barriers that disconnected people from having a flourishing relationship with God. For example:

• On the cross, He removed sin. This was the big barrier in this life.
• While in the tomb and during resurrection, He removed hell, eternal death, and the grave from us. These were the big barriers to connection with God after this life.

The Bible begins with man first losing a life connection with God in a garden. The gospels describe how Jesus helped man recover it.

What does a connection with God yield for us personally? What is it about connection that God so delights in? There are four main benefits:

1. Connection brings life – Life exists in connection states. This is seen in our physical realm. For example, if a plant disconnects from the ground, it withers away. If a fish disconnects from water, it dies. In the spiritual realm, our first sin disconnected us from God (as his/her life source), causing us to die spiritually. But, Jesus not only removed our sin barrier once and forever. He also gave us the means needed to maintain that connection: The person of Holy Spirit. Jesus came to give us life so we may have life more abundantly. Life is the removal of our sin. Having life more abundantly is the fullness of His Spirit.

2. Connection brings unity – God greatly desires connection because it makes us one with Him. Jesus prayed, “that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be one in Us…” (John 17:21). Jesus’ heart’s desire is that we have perfect unity with Him and the Father. Unity is the chief expression of intimacy.

3. Connection brings communication – Connection makes communication with God possible. A cell phone that loses connection with a tower causes an immediate loss of communication. Because of what Jesus did, we have a 24/7 open access line to the Father! This connection runs both ways. He also desires close and regular communication with us. If our lines are open, He will communicate to us in a variety of ways.

4. Connection brings access – Connection with God means gaining access to all He wants to give us. It is through connection that we receive an inheritance from the Father. Connection allows Him to gain access to what we have. This allows His Kingdom to come to earth and to our own personal worlds. This is a process as He gains increasingly greater access to our lives, its outer extremities, and those we encounter.

During His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus finished the main work necessary to connect you and I to God. This connection brings us life, unity, communication, and access to God – both now and for eternity. He did this because He loves us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would never perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

If He did all the work, what is our part? To simply….believe.

When we decide to turn from sin and believe in the death, burial, and resurrection and Lordship of Christ – our connection with God, along with all its benefits, gets immediately and permanently restored.

Have you made that decision today? If not, why delay any longer?

If I can help, send me a note.