Come A Little Closer

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8)

When I have difficulty seeing something, I will often use my magnifying glass to get a closer look. Today I am getting a closer look at God and relationship with Him. In this scripture we have a biblical promise highlighting a reciprocal relationship: as believers move toward God through prayer, repentance, and obedience, He moves toward them. It is a two-way relationship. Have you ever tried being in a relationship with just yourself? What do you have to offer yourself? What can you receive from yourself? At any point in this one way relationship is there anything tangible? What are you building by yourself? When we align our lives with God, we can be assured of His presence, strength, and grace, which helps build character and faith. When we humble ourself before the Lord, He promises to lift us up. How good are you at lifting yourself up? I know I cannot bring about joy to myself, I cannot do anything in my own strength, it requires an act of God, literally, for things to come out right in my life. If you want to get closer to God it is going to require cultivating a deeper, more intentional relationship through daily spiritual disciplines. Some things you can put into practice are; studying scripture, persistent prayer and worship. Surrender is a Big one, give control of your life back to God, especially during the difficult times. Learn to understand the nature of God and the life of Jesus, His teachings and the miracles He did. Approach God with reverence, respect the Divine Holiness, recognizing Him as both a loving parent and a sovereign authority. God is always close, constant and unchanging, how close are you in relationship with yourself? I know at times I have even lied to myself. God is not man, therefore He cannot lie. How surefooted are you? do you ever change? Can you really count on yourself? Can you remove all fear from yourself? God can and will. Why do we pretend to have it all together and think we can do this life on our own? Truth is, we will never succeed at it without God’s help. According to the Bible, God created humans in His image to have intimate fellowship with Him. This relational purpose means humanity was designed to walk with God and with others, rather than to exist in isolation. So, draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you.