BROADCASTS.com

b'God loves being in close relationship with us. That\\u2019s why He invites us to be in communication with Him and enjoy the closeness and unity we have with Him.\\n\\n\\n\\nThe Trinity is the perfect example of unity. God is one, and God is also three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14). The Trinity is characterized by love, and from that love God created the whole universe\\u2014especially making humans in God\\u2019s own image to be in relationship with Him.\\n\\n\\n\\nWhile Jesus was living among us on earth, He often spoke with the Father. He would take time to be alone and pray, continuing to lean into His relationship with the Father.\\n\\n\\n\\nPraying isn\\u2019t something that comes naturally to everyone, but the Holy Spirit helps us and Jesus gives us instructions on how to pray, showing us that prayer is relational. When Jesus begins His prayers with the word \\u201cFather,\\u201d this is a reminder of the close connection they have. As Christians, we also get to address God as Father when we pray because we have been adopted into God\\u2019s family by putting our trust in Jesus. We are set to inherit God\\u2019s kingdom as His children. God even wants us to call Him \\u201cAbba Father\\u201d which is a less formal address that shows the closeness of our relationship with Him (Romans 8:15).\\n\\n\\n\\nThis close relationship makes sense when we think about the love God has poured out for us. When Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross, that was an outpouring of love. And that kind of love is a sign of a deep relational connection. God wants a relationship with us and has already made the way for this relationship to be possible through Jesus\\u2019s death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. God invites us to know Him, interact with Him, and continue to grow in our relationship with Him throughout our lives. \\u2022 Naomi Zylstra\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 Have you ever thought about prayer being relational? We don\\u2019t have to be \\u201cgood\\u201d at it, whatever that means. Prayer is simply drawing near to God, sometimes without even using words. When do you feel close to God? If you\\u2019ve never felt close to God, that\\u2019s okay. God invites us to ask Him for this, and He delights in answering these prayers.\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2026you received God\\u2019s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, \\u201cAbba, Father.\\u201d Romans 8:15 (NLT)\\xa0\\n\\n\\n\\nREAD: LUKE 11:1-13; ROMANS 8:15-17, 26-30'