James 4:7-9
7 So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people]. 9 Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom.Someone once told me “You are as close to God as you want to be” and I have never forgotten that statement because it is so true. Gods desire is that we would draw near to Him and that is why Christ came so as to be able to facilitate that but It is not God who determines how close we get to Him, you and I determine that by the choices we make.
James tells us to draw near to God and he will draw near to us. This is not a physical act but rather an act of the heart. We are to purify our unfaithful hearts, hearts that are lukewarm and double minded. Remember Jesus said that he will spew out of his mouth those who are lukewarm. James is telling us to hate sin and not to court it. We are not to be comfortable with sin in our life but we should weep and grieve over our sin realizing that it is sin that draws us away from God. God is holy and he cannot live in an environment where sin is easily accepted so we are to purify our hearts because that is His dwelling.
Drawing near to God should be our first priority. As Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God!” You and I draw near to God by no longer being slaves to sin because we have been delivered; we must everyday make the conscious choice to walk in righteousness and not to entertain sin in our lives anymore. Our priority should be to love the Lord with all our hearts minds and souls and also to love our neighbors as we love ourselves!
Remember; “You are as close to God as you want to be!”
7 So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people]. 9 Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom.Someone once told me “You are as close to God as you want to be” and I have never forgotten that statement because it is so true. Gods desire is that we would draw near to Him and that is why Christ came so as to be able to facilitate that but It is not God who determines how close we get to Him, you and I determine that by the choices we make.
James tells us to draw near to God and he will draw near to us. This is not a physical act but rather an act of the heart. We are to purify our unfaithful hearts, hearts that are lukewarm and double minded. Remember Jesus said that he will spew out of his mouth those who are lukewarm. James is telling us to hate sin and not to court it. We are not to be comfortable with sin in our life but we should weep and grieve over our sin realizing that it is sin that draws us away from God. God is holy and he cannot live in an environment where sin is easily accepted so we are to purify our hearts because that is His dwelling.
Drawing near to God should be our first priority. As Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God!” You and I draw near to God by no longer being slaves to sin because we have been delivered; we must everyday make the conscious choice to walk in righteousness and not to entertain sin in our lives anymore. Our priority should be to love the Lord with all our hearts minds and souls and also to love our neighbors as we love ourselves!
Remember; “You are as close to God as you want to be!”
Reflections;
Are you happy with how close to God you are; why?
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What are three practical things you can start doing today to make your relationship with God better?
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Out of the three things above, which one takes priority over the other two? Commit to make that one thing part of your everyday life.
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