The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. John 17:22-23
What is the meaning of life? It’s a question we may not hear outside of some comedic context, YET it is a question that we all long to answer. Even if we don’t explicitly think in these terms, we want our lives to mean something. We all long to feel like we have value. Every great religion attempts to answer this question, and Christianity is no different. The Westminster Shorter Catechism (an educational tool used to teach Christian theology) answers the question this way; “the chief end of man (humanity) is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” The pastor and author John Piper proposes that “The chief end of man (humanity) is to glorify God BY enjoying him forever.”
The prayer of Jesus in John 17 would seem to support these statements. Jesus’ prayer is that we would be in union with the father “even as” he is one with the father. The point of all Christianity is intimate unity with God. A loving relationship with the father is what our souls long for most. Every longing of the human heart is a subset and beacon pointing us to our deepest longing to be loved and to love God.
We all know relationships take effort. Any deep connection requires that we spend time with the other regularly. It’s no different with our relationship with God. Learning practices that help you connect with God and then planning to use those practices regularly is how deeper relationship forms. Rhythms allow us to more often and more easily sense God throughout our daily lives. Take a moment to write out a typical week and what connection practices you want to use to encounter your relationship with God regularly.
By Aaron Bjorklund
