Like many people, I’m guilty of accepting Christ as my savior years ago, then basically forgetting about Him as the years pass. I don’t mean that I’ve completely abandoned Christ. Rather, I’m confident and secure in my salvation, but I don’t look to Jesus and His presence in my everyday life.

I’m glad that I’m going to Heaven. It’s great knowing that I will live for eternity with God, worshipping Him and living in paradise with other believers, including the people I’ve cared about most in this life. 

But I don’t think that we were saved to simply “live life.” We weren’t supposed to just say, “OK, now my eternity is secured. Thanks for that, Jesus,” and just go on about our merry way, with little or no thought about Him. 

Jesus is, of course, our salvation, our connection to God the Father whom He sent to earth in human form to die for us. 

But if that’s all that we think of Jesus as, then we’re missing out on who He really is and can be in our lives. 

Because He’s our Savior, our lifeline to the Father, He represents God to us. And I don’t believe that that’s all God wants for us.

It’s also about accepting and nurturing a deep relationship with Jesus, letting Him into our lives and letting Him truly be a friend—just like we would anybody else.

He wants to walk us through life, to be by our side through all the ups and downs as we rely on Him to get us through the next challenge.

After all, God promises to never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). We can count on His loving devotion to see us through the hard times. 

There are many examples in Scripture where Jesus reminds of His willingness to comfort us:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28).

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me (John 14:1).

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

It’s not that we have to “choose” Jesus over God—Jesus IS God. 

Rather, we’re taking advantage of our esteemed position in Christ to have unfiltered access to God, allowing His love, comfort, and wisdom to have full effect in our lives. 

What this means is that, because of Jesus, I can come boldly to God with all my needs, wants, and even my complaints (Heb. 4:16).

He wants to be my everything. All I have to do is keep letting Him be a vital part of my life every day. 

When I consistently do this, I’ll be on my way to living the rewarding, fulfilling life that God wants me to experience.