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Draw Near To God |
Dear Brethren,
It is so easy to say, "Draw near to God."
It is harder to do it. There is such a great difference between us and God. God is
Spirit, and we are still in the flesh (John 4:24, Romans 7:14). How
can we go about getting closer to God? A common misconception in the
Church of God today is that, since we have already been reconciled
to God, we no longer need to draw near to Him. That is a wrong
understanding. Yes, Jesus has reconciled us to the Father (Romans
5:10), but we need to continue to take the initiative ourselves to
draw near to God. Jesus prophesied that those of the last Church era
would think that they enjoyed a very close relationship with Him,
when, in fact, it would be lacking.
Because of this misconception, an ongoing invitation has been
extended to the Church. Jesus said, "I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him,
and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20) This verse
clearly implies that we need to draw nearer to God than we have,
thus far.
Sometimes, there are those who measure themselves by the world's
standards who truly believe they are as close to God as is
necessary. They even think that God needs them instead of the other
way around. "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw
near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have
removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught
by the precept of men." (Isaiah 29:13)
There are many worldly philosophies that would draw us away from the
straight-forward way of life in Jesus Christ. Some people are
actually looking for loop-holes to get out of what we must do to
become more like our elder brother, Jesus Christ. "As also in all
his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some
things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and
unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own
destruction." (2Peter 3:16)
God intends to have a dynamic, two-way relationship with us. When
God, after calling us and opening our minds, came into our lives, He
never intended to become a “silent-partner.” "You are the temple of
the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in
them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (2
Corinthians 6:16)
There is no limit to the power God will work through us. We,
however, are the limiting factor. God only extends His power in our
lives to the extent that we reciprocate by utilizing His Spirit in
us. Many of us are long-time Church members, and as such, we can
sometimes be prone to rely on our longevity in God’s Church as our
assurance that we are close to God. We might, then, wrongly reason
that God considers our long tenure in the Church to be sufficient
proof of our desire to have a cherished relationship with Him.
It is important that we humbly remember our roots - from before we
were called. "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf;
and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is
none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take
hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed
us, because of our iniquities. But now, O Lord, thou art our Father;
we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy
hand. Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for
ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people." (Isaiah
64:6)
Here are some tools, that God has given us, to help us to draw near
to Him:
Prayer: "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father
seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship
him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24) God
makes it possible for us to be able to draw close to Him.
Bible Study: Jesus answered saying, "Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word of God." (Luke 4:4)
Fasting: Frequent fasting helps to keep us to be spiritually humble
and contrite. We fast to draw close to God and be led by His Spirit.
He says, "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a
contrite and humble spirit." (Isaiah 57:15)
Overcoming Satan: We follow Jesus' example in saying, "Get thee
behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy
God, and him only shalt thou serve." (Luke 4:8)
King David put it this way, "It is good for me to draw near to God:
I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy
works." (Psalms 73:28 ) This ties directly in with our faith.
"Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he that comes to
God must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)
We are to diligently seek God. This is how we go about seeking Him.
"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8)
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| Sermon: |
"Draw Near To God"
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