How to have a better relationship with Jesus?

Study God's Word, go to church, receive Holy Communion and hopefully you've already been baptized.

i would like to know as well. my pastor tells me to read the bible

Milan45 said:

How?

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In his book, The True Christian's Love to the Unseen Christ, the Puritan Thomas Vincent offers nine directions that will lead you to your desired destination.


Meditate on Christ - Direction 1: "Be much in contemplation of Christ."

Your first priority is to meditate on Christ. Make time each day to dwell on Him. Consider who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing for you. Vincent suggests,

Spend time in secret retirement, and there think and think again of the superlative excellencies and perfections which are in Christ's person; how wonderful and matchless His love is, what heights that cannot be reached, what depths in it that cannot be fathomed, what other dimensions which cannot be comprehended.


Study about Christ - Direction 2: "Be much in reading and studying the Scriptures."

The Bible is God's Word to you. It is where you'll find everything you need to know about your great Lord and Savior. Paul said to "let the word of Christ richly dwell within us" (Col. 3:16). It is your spiritual food (Matthew 4:4). To not feed on its truths every day is like going without food for a day.
You wouldn't do that to your physical body, so be sure not to do that to your soul.


Pray for Love - Direction 3: "Be much in prayer to God for this love."

Jesus said, "How much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him" (Matt. 7:11). There isn't anything better than having supreme love for Christ, and God will certainly give that to you if you ask Him for it sincerely. Vincent says,

If you would have much love to Christ in your hearts, you must be often at the throne of grace upon your knees, and there humbly acknowledge if not the lack, yet the weakness, of your love to Christ.
Bewail your sins which dampen your affections, and earnestly request that He would work your hearts unto a strong love. Be importunate in prayer for this.


Lean on Christ - Direction 4: "Get much faith."

This goes hand in hand with prayer. The writer of Hebrews said, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). Peter said of Christ, "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him" (1 Pet. 1:8). You can know Christ only by faith, and only by faith can you truly love Him. Vincent says, "According to the measure of your faith, so will the measure of your love be. Such as are without any faith are without any love; such as have but feeble faith have but weak love; and such as have the strongest faith have the strongest love."


Be Filled with the Spirit - Direction 5: "Labor for much of the light of the Spirit."

The only way to truly love Christ is to "be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). Jesus Himself gave the reason that the Holy Spirit has such a crucial role:

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you (John 14:16-17).


Make Your Salvation Sure - Direction 6: "Labor for clear evidences of His love unto you. The full,well-grounded persuasions of Christ's love to you will, above all, heighten your love to Christ."

If you are a true Christian, Christ loves you. But if you lack the assurance of your salvation, examine your life to make sure you are saved. Don't doubt the Lord's love, for Paul said, "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).


Live in Obedience - Direction 7: "Get much hatred of sin and, accordingly, watch, pray, strive, and fight against sin as the worst of evils, as that which so much displeases your Lord."

When you do sin, go to the Lord and confess it so you can experience the joy of restoration. Vincent encourages further:

Disturb sin as much as you can; wage war every day with your remaining lusts. Let no day pass over your heads without giving some blows, some thrusts and wounds to sin. The more you straiten the room of sin in your hearts, the less room Christ will have there. Particularly, take heed of inordinate love to the world and the things in the world, the prevalence of which love will dampen your love to Christ. By how much more the world gets of your love, by so much the less Christ will have it.


Follow Those Who Love Christ - Direction 8: "Associate yourselves most with those that have most love unto Christ."

Simply stated, follow godly examples. Paul said, "Join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us" (Phil. 3:17).


Pursue Love - Direction 9: "Be much in exercise of this love; hereby it is increased and heightened."

This last principle takes you back to the beginning. If you want more love for Christ, pursue Him by practicing each of these every day. In every activity, in every contact, and in every thought, make Christ your focus. When you make Him your priority and love Christ with all your heart, soul, and strength, God is glorified.


I posted this article in my CF blog http://www.christianforums.com/blog...www.christianforums.com/blogs/u292430-e61508/
“This article originally appeared here at Grace to You.”

The person who wants a better relationship with Christ needs to comprehend that it is not enough to do the right things. We must also do them for the right reasons. In order for our actions to truly conform to what God wants of us, the motivations which preceded those actions must be such that God will also have given them his blessing. So even if our actions should outwardly seem to be 'in synch' with God' s will, it is only when the motivations which caused those actions to be performed also conform to God's will that the actions can be seen as contributing to the furtherance of his kingdom.

This is why the passage that I have quoted numerous times is so important to us. In this passage St. Paul went past the performance of actions, and instead went to the 'bedrock' from which those actions sprang:

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:16-26,NIV)

What we read here is the description of two different natures.The first is the old, sinful nature, with the motivations that it contains. The second is the new spiritual nature, with the motivations that it contains. The motivations contained in the first nature are the root cause of all sinful actions; the motivations contained in the second, the root cause of all righteous actions. And just as a poisoned tree cannot yield good fruit, actions which have the motivations of the sinful nature cannot be seen as truly righteous, even if superficially they might seem to be.

Instead, for the actions to be righteous, the impetus which led to their being performed must itself be righteous. And that occurs only when that impetus is dictated by the motivations contained in 'the fruit of the Spirit'. Just as the motivations listed as 'the acts of the sinful nature' are to be seen as the origin of all sinful actions, the motivations listed as 'the fruit of the Spirit' are to be seen as the origin of every righteous action. That's why the words immediately following the listing of 'the fruit of the Spirit' are, "Against such things there is no law."

The simple and most fundamental truth is to be devoted to the Lord Jesus and make Him your best friend, as well as lord of your life. I find a real need to seek His mind and keep the Word of God always.

From a practical standpoint:

1. Be patient with yourself. Don't try to force the issue and be someone you are not. Don't get caught up comparing yourself with others and wishing you were as good as them.

2. Prayer. Realize the importance and value of two-way communication. Talk to and listen to God. God is always speaking, but we are not always listening. WHEN God does speak it will always line up with and be confirmed with and by His Word.

3. Read the Bible. Best place to start IMO is the Book of John. John seems to give the most personal accounts about Jesus as he was the one who was closest to Him from a relational standpoint. In addition, read Psalms and Proverbs to gain some practical insight. I like to read the Proverb that correlates to the day. Today is October 4, so read Proverb 4.

4. Get plugged in to a church. Find a church/place where you feel at home and challenged to grow in your relationship with God. Realize that no church is perfect. The most growth happens in people's lives when they get involved as producers in their church. Find out what you can do. Be available.

5. Find someone to whom you can be accountable and who you feel can disciple you and challenge you for growth. Iron sharpens iron.

6. Be transparent and honest with God, yourself, and those around you. Growth can be quickly stunted or stopped by trying to hide or be someone you are not.

Milan45 said:

How?

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By holding to the testimony of Jesus.

Dear Isatis, I say this with love. You tell us very explicitly how to better our relationship with Chist, but in Matthew 22, verses 35-40, Jesus tells a Lawyer:
" the first and great Commandment is: Love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds." Then Jesus emphasizes: " On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Yes we must Love God and Jesus, but the second Commandment is of great importance, too.
" Love our neighbour as ourselves." God wants our Love completely, with hearts, souls, and minds, Also: Love our neighbour as ourselves."

Dear Isatis, I thought I would just like to mention it. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in
Christ.

Emmy said:

Dear Isatis, I say this with love. You tell us very explicitly how to better our relationship with Chist, but in Matthew 22, verses 35-40, Jesus tells a Lawyer:
" the first and great Commandment is: Love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds." Then Jesus emphasizes: " On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Yes we must Love God and Jesus, but the second Commandment is of great importance, too.
" Love our neighbour as ourselves." God wants our Love completely, with hearts, souls, and minds, Also: Love our neighbour as ourselves."

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Amen!

and He also gave us a new commandment to love one another as He loved us (John 13:34). Then Jesus went on to say, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (verse 35)

But how do we love God with all our being and others as ourselves? How do we love one another as He loved us, and in such a way as to prove to the world that we are His disciples?

revrod said:

From a practical standpoint:

1. Be patient with yourself. Don't try to force the issue and be someone you are not. Don't get caught up comparing yourself with others and wishing you were as good as them.

2. Prayer. Realize the importance and value of two-way communication. Talk to and listen to God. God is always speaking, but we are not always listening. WHEN God does speak it will always line up with and be confirmed with and by His Word.

3. Read the Bible. Best place to start IMO is the Book of John. John seems to give the most personal accounts about Jesus as he was the one who was closest to Him from a relational standpoint. In addition, read Psalms and Proverbs to gain some practical insight. I like to read the Proverb that correlates to the day. Today is October 4, so read Proverb 4.

4. Get plugged in to a church. Find a church/place where you feel at home and challenged to grow in your relationship with God. Realize that no church is perfect. The most growth happens in people's lives when they get involved as producers in their church. Find out what you can do. Be available.

5. Find someone to whom you can be accountable and who you feel can disciple you and challenge you for growth. Iron sharpens iron.

6. Be transparent and honest with God, yourself, and those around you. Growth can be quickly stunted or stopped by trying to hide or be someone you are not.

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Worth repeating!