God, Jesus, and me

[the new justin]

As a new christian I am a little confused about who my life is supposed to be dedicated too.
I know God is the creater of all, including Jesus, and that we live by his commandments. I know that Jesus is the son of God and that he died for all of are sins. Now what I dont know is who am I supposed to live for. what I mean is that how do I pay tribute to Jesus? I pray to God and try to live according to Gods word but is that how I get to know Jesus? Or by saying in Jesus name to close a prayer?
Rick Warren of the purpose driven life said that when we stand before God he will ask us what we did with Jesus and what we did with our lives, with the first question determining where we will spend eternity (Heaven or Hell). My concern is that I dont know what I have done with Jesus. How do I praise God and Jesus the way im supposed to? I know that im supposed to be more like Christ but by doing that am I praising them both? Who do I focus on more and how? I feel like im only with God but I cant know God without Jesus?
Please let me know how and what to do so that I can tell God what I have done with Jesus.:embarasse
Peace and bless out.

 

[Chad]

Jesus Christ is GOD / Son of GOD / GODman (when Jesus came to the world 2,000 years ago).

You pray in Jesus' name. Jesus reconciled us to the Father in Heaven (Father GOD). We cry "Abba" in our prayers. In other words, we are now (by the blood of Jesus Christ) adopted children of GOD. We pray to the Father in Jesus' name as Jesus prayed to His Father (GOD).

Romans 8:14-16
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Note, the "Spirit" is the Holy Spirit, the 3rd person of GOD (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

Galatians 4:4-7
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born[a] of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Below is a great article from gotquestions.org also.

Question: "What is the Lord's prayer and should we pray it?"

Answer: The Lord’s prayer is a prayer that Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. Matthew 6:9-13 reads, “This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'” Many people mistakenly understand the Lord’s prayer to be a prayer we are supposed to pray word for word. Some people treat the Lord’s prayer as almost a magic formula, as if the words themselves have some specific power or influence with God.

The Bible teaches us the opposite. God is far more interested in our hearts when we pray than He is in our words. Matthew 6:6 teaches us, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:7 goes on to say, “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” In prayer, we are to pour out our hearts to God (Philippians 4:6-7), not simply recite memorized words to God.

Instead, the Lord’s prayer should be understood as an example, a pattern of how to pray. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray. It gives us the “ingredients” that should go into prayer. Here is how it breaks down. “'Our Father in heaven” is teaching us who to address our prayers to, the Father. “Hallowed be your name” is telling us to worship God, and to praise Him for who He is. The phrase “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is a reminder to us that we are to pray for God’s plan in our lives and the world, not our own plan. We are to pray for God’s will to be done, not for our desires. We are encouraged to ask God for the things we need in “give us today our daily bread.” “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” remind us to confess our sins to God and to turn from them – and then also to forgive others as God has forgiven us. The conclusion of the Lord’s prayer, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” is a plea for help in achieving victory over sin and a request for protection from the attacks of the devil.

So, again, the Lord’s prayer is not a prayer we are to memorize and recite back to God. It is only an example of how we should be praying. Is there anything wrong with memorizing the Lord’s prayer? Of course not! Is there anything wrong with praying the Lord’s prayer back to God? Not if your heart is in it and you truly mean the words you say. Remember, in prayer, God is far more interested in us communing with Him and speaking from our hearts than He is in the specific words we use. Philippians 4:6-7 declares, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

 

[Coconut]

Rick Warren of the purpose driven life said that when we stand before God he will ask us what we did with Jesus and what we did with our lives, with the first question determining where we will spend eternity (Heaven or Hell).

The sad thing about Rick Warren is he seems to have forgotten Jesus is Lord, or he never knew Him to begin with.

 

[jiggyfly]

Rick Warren of the purpose driven life said that when we stand before God he will ask us what we did with Jesus and what we did with our lives, with the first question determining where we will spend eternity (Heaven or Hell)

Thats the BIG problem with religion, it's always trying to do something with Jesus instead of letting Jesus do something with us.

The sad thing about Rick Warren is he seems to have forgotten Jesus is Lord, or he never knew Him to begin with.

Amen Coconut.

the new justin, I don't think you need to worry with which one you need to address or relate to. Because the Father and Son are so close to each other when you relate to one you relate to the other as well.

John 8:19
19 “Where is your father?” they asked.
Jesus answered, “Since you don’t know who I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you knew me, then you would know my Father, too.”

If you want to learn of the intimacy that the Father and Son share , the Gospel of John is a great place to start.

 

[the new justin]

Thanks all for your help on this matter.Your right, I do need to let Jesus do things with me instead of me trying to figure out what I need to do with him.
I will just keep praying and asking for the lord to guide my life and let it come naturally over time, instead of rushing and worrying about worship and getting ahead of myself.
Sometimes I feel I need to do a lot in a short period of time. Anyway, thanks for the imput and the scriptures all.
bless out

 

[casmark]

Hey dude. My first post here! hehe...Well, in my opinion, I've always seen Jesus as the link to God. In the bible it says that we can only get to the Father if we get to know Jesus. How do we get to know Him? Well, the gospels are an ausome way to start They talk about His life and His doings and you can really start to love His character. Next...PRAY! Prayer is your conversation with Jesus....talk to Him as if u wud talk to your dad...tell Him your problems and what happened throughout your day. Ask Him questions and listen in your heart to the answers. God Bless You my brother.

 

[the new justin]

Thanks casmark, I will keep that in mind. I have been trying to talk to Jesus and I think its slowly starting to grow on me.
bless out brother.

 

[casmark]

The most important thing you can do is to grow your thirst for the Lord...CRAVE FOR HIM! Really Really want Jesus! Dont try because you can succeed or fail when you try....but have faith and believe that you will manage and like this, failure is not really an option

 

[the new justin]

yea thats true casmark. Just do it, I guess. I should focus more on wanting it than about how I am going to praise him. I guess it will come naturally over time.
Thanks!