February 6
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.” James 4:8
Why would we not draw near to God every chance we get? Why would we knowingly pass up this opportunity! What blindness and shortsightedness! What pride and presumptuousness! Is there anyone else who will watch over you and care for your body and soul like Him? Yet we proudly go our own way and do our own thing and sin our wretched sins day after day! It is a wonder to me that He doesn’t withdraw His offer! I certainly would be inclined to.
I think not drawing near to God every chance we get is like walking past a free feast, like ignoring thousands of thousand dollar bills laying all over the ground, like turning down being President of the United States if it were handed to us. I will speak for myself in saying that when I choose not to pursue Him, it is because of sin in my life, and stubbornness and ignorance. I don’t know what I am missing, and I have become accustomed to the sloppy, low class fare I have become comfortable with most of my life. I am the proverbial child who has inherited a fortune but lives in squalor because he doesn’t understand what he has been given and has become comfortable with slum life.
Let us repent of this sin of not drawing near to God. Let us pursue Him will all the ardor and fervency His great Person is worthy of. Let’s show God how much we love Him and appreciate Him by proactively making time for Him and seeking Him throughout the day. Let’s resolve to never again try to live life in our own strength and our own wisdom. Let’s determine that by His grace we will never substitute sin for time with Him. Let’s purpose that we will not grieve the Spirit any more with our sin and our indifference to Him! Let’s develop the habit of daily and throughout our day seeking Him, praying to Him, thinking about His Word to us, and seeking to know and do His will. These are the kind of followers that God wants, I believe, and seeks to fellowship with.
I have been praying for several years now that God would make me into a person who is a holy vessel in which the Lord is pleased to dwell mightily, abiding joyfully, and tarrying long. Would you join me in praying this for your life? Would you earnestly seek Him and ask Him to help you to make a habit of drawing near to Him throughout the day, every day? Would you make this a top priority of your life, with His help? I pray that we all would make this commitment to seek and draw near to Him daily. Sin cannot touch us when we have drawn near to Him.