September 27, 2020 DRAW NEAR
James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.”
John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me, and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love Him and will disclose Myself to him.”
It’s possible that if you read just the two verses above, you may reach the conclusion that one is saved by his works. However, it is only through the grace of God that we are saved, and not by our works. The goal of this blog is that we might come to know, or either be reminded, that God desires for us to be near Him and to enjoy a relationship with Him; He is not a distant God somewhere up in heaven looking down on us. James is very direct in his writhing and some may take offense to what He says-but He is writing the words of God and we must hear what he says. If you read all of James, you will see that he is calling followers of Christ to ‘step up to the plate’ and order their lives according to the ways of God. As seen in verse 4, James is addressing certain believers who were living according to the ways of the world and he rebukes and corrects them as the Spirit leads him. There are times when the word of God corrects or rebukes us, and when it does, let us receive it as from the Lord and adjust our life accordingly. James makes the point that God is jealous; He does not want anything or anyone to disrupt our fellowship with Him and His fellowship with us. “Are do you not think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: ‘He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us?’” James 4:5. The power of sin has been broken, enabling believers to live without sinning as they walk according to the Spirit. It is also true that believers can succumb to sin by choosing to walk according to the flesh, thus the rebuke and the correction. Remember, the rebukes are from our loving Father who wants nothing to hinder our relationship. God extends the wonderful open invitation to draw near to Him. Whether we are cold or indifferent spiritually, discouraged, and not enjoying the Lord, God invites us to draw near to Him. It’s a no-brainer, but if we need to draw near to Him, then we must not be near Him now. What causes us not to be near Him is us; allowing sin to have its way in us breaks our fellowship with Him. One form of sin is allowing other things to become more important to us than walking with the Lord. Let us thank God for the standing invitation to draw near to Him. If we need to, let us confess our sins, purify ourselves, and run to the Father-He is there with open arms.
Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Blessings,
Buddy
September 27, 2020 DRAW NEAR
James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.”
John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me, and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love Him and will disclose Myself to him.”
It’s possible that if you read just the two verses above, you may reach the conclusion that one is saved by his works. However, it is only through the grace of God that we are saved, and not by our works. The goal of this blog is that we might come to know, or either be reminded, that God desires for us to be near Him and to enjoy a relationship with Him; He is not a distant God somewhere up in heaven looking down on us. James is very direct in his writhing and some may take offense to what He says-but He is writing the words of God and we must hear what he says. If you read all of James, you will see that he is calling followers of Christ to ‘step up to the plate’ and order their lives according to the ways of God. As seen in verse 4, James is addressing certain believers who were living according to the ways of the world and he rebukes and corrects them as the Spirit leads him. There are times when the word of God corrects or rebukes us, and when it does, let us receive it as from the Lord and adjust our life accordingly. James makes the point that God is jealous; He does not want anything or anyone to disrupt our fellowship with Him and His fellowship with us. “Are do you not think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: ‘He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us?’” James 4:5. The power of sin has been broken, enabling believers to live without sinning as they walk according to the Spirit. It is also true that believers can succumb to sin by choosing to walk according to the flesh, thus the rebuke and the correction. Remember, the rebukes are from our loving Father who wants nothing to hinder our relationship. God extends the wonderful open invitation to draw near to Him. Whether we are cold or indifferent spiritually, discouraged, and not enjoying the Lord, God invites us to draw near to Him. It’s a no-brainer, but if we need to draw near to Him, then we must not be near Him now. What causes us not to be near Him is us; allowing sin to have its way in us breaks our fellowship with Him. One form of sin is allowing other things to become more important to us than walking with the Lord. Let us thank God for the standing invitation to draw near to Him. If we need to, let us confess our sins, purify ourselves, and run to the Father-He is there with open arms.
Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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