Have you ever wondered how you can feel closer to God? We hear that God loves you all the time, and you may believe that God loves you, but actually feeling that love is something else.

We can go through life and spend tons of time and energy learning about God without ever reaching the point where we feel like we know Him. The way to really get to know Jesus isn't by hanging back at a distance, just learning about him. It's stepping into a relationship with Jesus.

What does a relationship with Jesus look like? If we look at God's Word, the Bible, we can see who got to know Jesus the best. It was his disciples - his friends. 

A disciple is an apprentice and an apprentice is someone who's found the thing they most want to do in life, and who's getting on-the-job training to learn how to do it. We can become apprentices, or disciples, of Jesus too.

This happens by giving Jesus attention. The more attention you give Jesus, the closer to him you're likely to feel and the more of his life transformation you're likely to experience. Praying, reading the Bible, and going to church are all ways to give Jesus attention. Even though it can be a struggle, habits can help you feel closer to God. 

The most important things we can do as an apprentice of Jesus is to keep pushing back against that lying voice telling us it's too hard, that it's not worth it, or that God doesn't really love us. The more we practice living our lives the way Jesus lived his life, the more natural and life-changing it will become for us. 

When you put your trust in Jesus, God's Holy Spirit come to make his home within you. Acts 2:38-39 says:

And Peter said to them, 'repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.'