Draw near to God

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. 

Humble yourselves before God and he will lift you up.

 James 4: 8 &10

In one of our study groups a friend of ours told us that our relationship with God has to become as co-ordinated as our hands. There are times when they are apart. However everything gets done whether they work together or separately. But time and again they become one when the task is impossible without the others help, these are times we draw near to God.

If we hope for transformation and peace in our lives we have to find ways to constantly seek the presence of God in our lives daily.  This is one of the basic tenets of our faith. It is very difficult for us to grow as Christians unless we set aside time for prayer. It is well known that the more time we spend with God, the easier it is to get along with people.

James goes on to say cleanse your hands, where he means stop doing what is sinful in God's sight and change. There are times when our hearts and minds may be filled with negative thoughts, frustrations, boredom, and failures so much so as to impede our ability to achieve our full potential. It could be to end an unhealthy relationship. It could be where one is stuck in some dishonest activities that steal ones peace with God (Proverbs22:3). Sometimes when we have many things goings-on we find ourselves just overwhelmed. If we find ourselves on a path that only fills us with hatred and wickedness it is time to wash our hands and become clean.

A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. 

The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There are times when we get confused and wonder if we are on the right course in life. Particularly when we face a block in our path or something untoward or tragic happens where we have to revaluate our lives. There are these times when God seems so far away. It is at times such as these when we should find a place to retreat and reconsider our lives and the paths we have chosen. It is always good to question our motives, reorganize and prepare ourselves for the new situation.

Is it our own pride that is fueling us along in our lives. Then visualize where this path will lead to ultimately. How can we grow in wisdom and understanding? How can we remain true to ourselves and God in whatever we do?

If you find something in your life that is weighing you down try and see if it is really relevant you. Is it feelings of hatred and anger preying upon you? Are you are weighed down by debt or some other burden?

It is always good to find time to reflect and consider these hard questions in our lives. We may be wonderfully surprised that for most of these questions if we search our hearts and minds we already have most of the answers. Sometimes we may pray endlessly for something to change in our lives but nothing really happens.

Do we wait patiently and watch expectantly like the Father waited for his prodigal son to return? Or do we rush in and try to fix things ourselves. Are we giving enough time for God to do what has to be done? Do we trust God to do God's part (Isaiah30:18)? Do we hope in the Lord (Isaiah 40:31)? Sometimes our future may look uncertain, we may probably encounter set backs, but if we learn to trust God we learn from all these experiences in the long run.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says that if we trust in God with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding God will direct us in the path we should go. Do we really humble ourselves before God and trust God to lead us in the path we should go? At the end of the day it is our relationship with God and our fellow men that are most important. It is finding ways to resolve our differences and renewing our commitment to being followers of Christ. 

If we lead a life dedicated to service, we will reap the fruits of the bonds we build over the years we serve. There may not often be much material gains but the knowledge of being part of the body of Christ that worked for the greater good of mankind is often reward enough to satisfy us.

God gives us the gift of time on this earth we should use it to enable us to build homes that are strong and can withstand the passing of time. We should form strong bonds of love with our family and friends. As Christ’s followers we should set our hearts and minds to build a strong foundation for our lives with Christ as our corner stone.

Prayer:-

Lord we pray that you will direct us in the path you have set us, light the way ahead as we continue transforming our selves more and more into a likeness of you. Amen