Real Relationship with God

In our media-saturated world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to know what is real and what is fake.

This challenge is not a big deal when the consequence is the loss of a few dollars from false advertising, or the embarrassment of being fooled by a scam artist. But when the facts are blurred with fiction in a court hearing, or the truth is overcome with lies in a political campaign, or a marital dispute descends into he said/she said, the fallout can easily lead to deeper heartbreak, anger and distrust.

Even worse, when the virtual world seen through our devices blends seamlessly into the real world of life, the resulting effect can cause even greater loss of identity and dignity, triggering an outbreak of gender and sexual bewilderment—a world where we are more comfortable in our avatar than in our own skin and bones.

Ultimately and most significantly, the gradual decline into the unreal shapes our view of God and sends us spiraling downward into the abyss of twisted beliefs, false pretenses, ridiculous conclusions and imaginary worlds. After awhile, the drift toward the artificial leads us to the upside-down thinking that what is fake is real, and that what is real is, at best, unimportant, or even worst, unknowable. The real world becomes indiscernible even as the fake world becomes home.

Though the intensity of this problem might be worsened by our digital age, none of this is new because the devil has worked his deception since the beginning of time. Out of the confusion of our pixelated world, the word of God invites us into the real reality of what is objectively true and genuinely authentic. This life with God is filled with satisfying rest and unimaginable joy.

Over the next several months at Grace Community Church, we will be diving into the epistle of 1 John where we will discover that God’s plan for His people is to live with confidence in His character, certainty in our identity, and assurance of His love. From this deep conviction, we can step back from the precipice of delusion that we experience through our screens, and humbly walk in the light of what is real and true, both in this life and the life to come, both for now and for all eternity, both with God and with one another.