Draw Near To God
It seems like whenever there is something that we dread doing we try to run from it, especially when we think there will be consequences that we would rather not endure.
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Draw Near To God (by Tim Klink of Prison Discipleship Ministry)
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
It seems like whenever there is something that we dread doing we try to run from it, especially when we think there will be consequences that we would rather not endure. Much of the time those consequences are inflated in our minds way beyond what they will actually be.
When I was a child and I would do something that my parents did not approve of, I would do everything possible to avoid them finding out. I knew enough to not make it evident that I had done something wrong, but just like every parent, they somehow knew. My dad was a master at allowing me to think he didn’t know, while all of the time he was just waiting for me to admit to him what I had done. When that happened the consequences were never as severe as I had imagined. Dad never kicked me out of the family; he never stopped talking to me for the rest of my life; he never took out a newspaper advertisement telling the whole town about my wrong-doing; he simply applied what discipline was needed for correction, and life went on.
One would have thought that as I got older I would have seen the love and forgiveness my dad had for me, but there were still things that I kept from him because of some fear of being rejected by him. In spite of countless times that he showed me mercy, Satan still managed to twist the truth in my mind.
Regardless of our age or the number of years we have had a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we fear taking our poor choices, our prideful motives, our actions that hurt others, our sin, to our heavenly Father for His comfort, forgiveness, and correction. It seems that the reason Satan, God’s enemy, tries so hard to keep us from God’s forgiving presence is because he knows that God will always be there to bring us back to Himself in love.
Notice in the verse above the order that is given. When we draw nigh to God, then He will draw nigh to us. We can humble ourself and experience His love, or we can continue in our pride and sin and be miserable. Do you need to draw nigh to God today?
