Who Is He To You?

Jesus asked the apostle Peter, "Who do you say that I am?". It was a significant question at the time. His answer changed their relationship. If we were to ask people today who Jesus is we would get all kinds of answers. Just the other day a friend, who I have known for about eight years answered this question for me even without me asking.
Something is going on in her life at this point. I was not able to find out as the situation did not allow us to pursue that line of conversation. Out of nowhere came this fastball. "I don’t believe there is a God." I could tell by the way she said it, this was not just a statement of fact but a statement with a question behind it. More like, "The way my life is going right now, I can’t see a God who cares." Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. We hear it more and more and I believe it is due to peoples concept of God.
Over the last thirty years or so, I have observed a new reality of how people think of God. Unlike Peter who answered, "You are the Son of the Living God," most people look to God as a benefactor. They come to Him with their ‘Christmas Wish List’ and expect instant results. They come to Him daily with a wish list. "Lord, give me a better boss, God, help me get out of this mess I got myself in, help my kids, straighten them out because I don’t know how." Unfortunately this is all they know of God. Don’t just come to visit only when you want something. People expect God to jump at the snap of the fingers. You get the idea. You may at some time voiced some of them yourself. I know I have.
But this is not what Peter is saying. I believe in this statement Peter is letting us know who deserves our time and our worship. At another point in time, Peter asks Jesus to leave him because he considers himself nothing in comparison to a holy Christ. "Leave me because I am a sinful man."
How does my friend see God? I believe she is blinded to the totality of God just because He has not been answering this prayer. She doesn’t see this as snapping her fingers, but a prayer from her hurting heart.
Let me ask you. Do you come to pray to God only when things are tough? Is the only time you come to Christ a time of pain and hurt? Don’t get me wrong, God is there and He hears the prayer of His child. But being a child involves walking daily with Him. When we were children, we had a very close relationship with our parents. We got to know them and became like them. We learned daily from them and they encouraged us to learn from their mistakes so we wouldn’t have to repeat them. It is the same with God.
He wants to have an ongoing relationship. He wants children who don’t just call Him up once a week or drops by a couple of times a year. We can and need to have a close relationship. It would be unfortunate if, when we stand before Him, we hear the words of Matthew 25:12, "I don’t know you." And so I will say to my friend and to you, "Who is Jesus to you?"
An older gentleman decided to give up the city life and become a gentleman farmer. In early fall he traveled around and found just the right place to buy. Wonderful home, great yards and an amazing crop in the field. It was the middle of winter when he moved in. He was so excited about all that would happen. He mowed the lawn, took wonderful care of the flower gardens and even put in a couple of tomato plants. By late summer he was wondering what was going on. As he stood beside the road one day, looking out over the hundred-acre farm an old farmer pulled up in his well worn blue Chevy pickup. "How’s it going," he asked? Turning to greet the neighbour he replied it wasn’t going well. "What’s the problem?" the old farmer asked. "Last year it was an amazing crop here, and I don’t know what happened." With a slight curl at the corners of his mouth the farmer said as he slowly pulled away, "You have to work the land and plant some seed to get a crop."
What’s coming up in your field?
Rob