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CHAT:
Use the following questions to help you think about this topic with others around you. Alternatively, you could use them for reflection by yourself:
How would you plot your relationship with Jesus right now on a scale of 1-10 (one being stale or non-existent), and why would you plot it where you did?
Do you know anyone who you would say has a fresh and active relationship with Jesus? Who? What does that look like lived out?
When was (or has there ever been) a time when you have felt close to Jesus over a long period of time? What things make this difficult?
What things can lead to someone’s relationship with Jesus growing stale or feeling distant? How much is that a danger in your life?
What is one thing that you could do (that isn’t just pray more often) that would help your relationship with Jesus to feel active in the day to day of your life?
PRAY:
Spend a few minutes either sat in quiet or put a worship song on in the background. During this time don’t ask God for anything, instead just listen. Be aware of God’s presence both in you and around you. Spend a few minutes sat with Jesus, for no other reason than to spend some time with just Him and you.
DO:
Our relationship with God doesn’t work if we expect to be able to have one ‘big top up’ every so often and then try to make it through to the next ‘filling station’. In the Bible in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, it says ‘Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’. We are instructed to pray continually, that we are always in connection and relationship with God. But often, our lives look very different to this, or maybe we have done the same things for so long that we have lost any sense of freshness and excitement.
On a piece of paper, draw out the seven days of the week and take some time to plot out when you tend to have focused time with Jesus. You might want to put in church or your youth group. Then plot in when you spend your personal time alone with Jesus, just you and Him. Also write down what you do in this time and then drop in when you might just touch base with him throughout the day. It might be that some or lots of these don’t feature in your week at all – but it’s really important to track what you actually do. If we aren’t regularly spending time with Jesus, our relationship with Him is much more likely to feel stale and distant. It’s much more likely to not feel like a relationship at all.
Share with the group the different ways that each of you spend time with Jesus during the week and note down any ideas that you haven’t tried before – keeping things fresh sometimes looks like trying new things! Maybe even pick one that you will try out in the next few days.
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