This is personal.

From the outside, some people who look at Christianity see it as a group of people who gather because they have decided to conform to certain norms and standards with which they will govern their lives. A group of people who are not supposed to smoke, drink, curse and who offer exorbitant amounts of money to their pastors. It is more of a preferred lifestyle more than anything; you do your thing and I will do mine.

From the inside, most of us live very fast paced lives of Christian programs. It is all about attending that conference there, service here, obeying that law, giving this or that, fellowship, band practice, having to preach this gospel, showing them how I know the bible etc, all in order to really feel like we are true Christians. Most of us end up knowing how to ‘live a Christian life’ but never really growing into the Christ. Most of us end being fluent in Christianese without ever knowing how to continuously communicate with our daily companion, the Holy Spirit.

Believing in Christ is not just a preference, it is a life changing encounter. You become a child of God, with access to a relationship to Him. How many of us really seek to know Him for ourselves, in our private lives? How much of time spent with God is spent in public versus in private. How much of private time spent with God is for our relationship with Him versus for the sake of public ministry or, so we can flaunt a verse or two the next time we go to a cell meeting

Even in the midst of His fast paced life of ministry, travel and  boat rides, Jesus took time to just chill with and minister to God. He spoke more of His relationship with God than anything. Even His works for God resulted from their relationship – Him doing what He observed God do.

Child of God, have you been so busy in the things of God, with the people of God, for the people of God that you may not even know this God personally? We all know of Mandela so much, we talk about him, dance like him and perhaps some of us even cried when he passed on but few of us really knew him. Those who really know him are those who spent time with him.  May we relax in His presence and focus time to knowing Him personally.