Drawing Near to God
This morning I spoke to our middle school students in the chapel service for our academy. I always enjoy trying to teach them some of God's truths from the book of James. Today, we were in chapter 4. Part of what we talked about was drawing near to God.
The Bible gives us a promise in verse 8. If we will draw near to God, He will draw near to use. I asked the students how to draw near to someone, and they knew exactly what I meant. They said we draw near by talking with the Lord and reading His Word. It is the same as getting close to any other person, because God is a person. The thing to notice is that God does not force Himself on us. We have to take the first step.
I can really relate to this verse, because I have never been one to force myself on others. I don't want to try to make them be my friend if they do not want to. Therefore, I let them make the first move. Once they show an interest in being friends, then, I can draw close to them. We all need to remember this characteristic about God.
Sometimes, we hear people say that God seems a million miles away, or they say that they do not feel close to God. It is not God's fault. They must spend time with Him in conversation and in reading His Word. Then, He will be more and more intimate with them. This is the truth behind my memory verse today, too. Mary spent much time at the feet of Jesus, so it was only natural for her to feel close enough to Him to anoint His feet with oil and to dry them with her hair. What an intimate, humble act of love and devotion. I pray that we all will be that close to Jesus all the time, so that whatever we need to do for Him, we will be comfortable doing it.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Chronicles 25-27.
The Bible gives us a promise in verse 8. If we will draw near to God, He will draw near to use. I asked the students how to draw near to someone, and they knew exactly what I meant. They said we draw near by talking with the Lord and reading His Word. It is the same as getting close to any other person, because God is a person. The thing to notice is that God does not force Himself on us. We have to take the first step.
I can really relate to this verse, because I have never been one to force myself on others. I don't want to try to make them be my friend if they do not want to. Therefore, I let them make the first move. Once they show an interest in being friends, then, I can draw close to them. We all need to remember this characteristic about God.
Sometimes, we hear people say that God seems a million miles away, or they say that they do not feel close to God. It is not God's fault. They must spend time with Him in conversation and in reading His Word. Then, He will be more and more intimate with them. This is the truth behind my memory verse today, too. Mary spent much time at the feet of Jesus, so it was only natural for her to feel close enough to Him to anoint His feet with oil and to dry them with her hair. What an intimate, humble act of love and devotion. I pray that we all will be that close to Jesus all the time, so that whatever we need to do for Him, we will be comfortable doing it.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Chronicles 25-27.