“Without faith it is
impossible to please God, because in order to draw near to Him, we must believe
that He exists and that He rewards all those who diligently seek Him.” -
Hebrews 11:6
In the Old Testament covenant,
the Jews could never enter the Holy of Holies. Even the priests could not
enter. Coming close to God was a privilege only available to the High Priest,
and he could do this just once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus
16:2). The New Testament tells us that
Christ’s death on the cross opened the way for us to draw near to the throne of
God with confidence any time we want to do so (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19;
Ephesians 3:12). We have this new and
living way to approach God with a true heart full of assurance and faith.
Drawing near to God is an act of humbling your heart and submitting your will
to His.
When
we diligently seek God, He will draw near to us (James
4:8). As we come to Him, God sprinkles
our heart with the atoning blood of Calvary’s cross (Mark
15:38). We are washed by the pure,
living water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26; Hebrews 10:19-22). Drawing near to God is a spiritual process rather
than a physical one. We can draw near to God by going to church or to a
solitary peaceful place; but it can also be done in the midst of a busy subway,
a traffic jam, a hospital bed, a board meeting or a desk filled with a ringing
phone and work piled to the ceiling. Make it your top priority of each day to
draw near to God before you do anything else.
There is a small gate and
narrow road, which leads to the Way, Truth and Life (John
14:6); and only a few actually humble
themselves, do the will of God with their life and find it (Matthew
7:13-14, 10:38; John 6:40). The wide
gate and broad road only lead to destruction. Unfortunately, many try to enter
Heaven through this broad way. They believe that all religions and lifestyles
lead to eternal bliss. However, the Bible is clear that only those who believe
in Jesus Christ will be saved (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9). God only opens the Kingdom of Heaven to true
Believers in Jesus Christ who draw near to Him.
Not everyone who claims the
name of Lord or who does miraculous works will enter the Kingdom of
Heaven. Satan actually uses some of
these good people to draw others into his kingdom. Being
good and doing religious works does not guarantee us a place in Heaven (Ephesians
2:8-9). These people are actually not relying on the
power of God in their lives, but on their own self-efforts instead. In fact, Jesus told us a parable
that proves that some of those who name the name of Christ here on earth have
no idea who He really is. They do not know him personally and He will not
welcome them into Heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).
Turning away from a life of
sinful pursuits and turning toward a life of holiness in Christ (James 2:17) brings us more than Salvation and a guaranteed place
in Heaven. It gives us the right to draw near to God with confidence at any
time of the day or night. In His presence, we find mercy and grace to help us
in our times of need (Hebrews 4:16).
God is approachable and available to us. By His abiding power and wisdom within
us, He helps us to stand against the devil and to resist his deception (James
4:7). He uses our circumstances to cause
us to run to Him in our distress, so He can transform us into Christ’s image.
Jesus lives to make intercession for those who draw near to God, and He is able
to save us forever (Hebrews 7:25).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I pray for those
who prefer to travel the broad road of life. They are traveling in a throng
into the eternal fires of hell. I pray that You will catch them away from this
everlasting darkness and bring them into Your eternal Light. Help everyone who
hears Your Word to respond to it and to humble themselves and take advantage of
your generous provision of mercy and grace as we draw near to You.
Thought for the Day:
A revelation of the majesty
and holiness of God is a basic necessity for appreciating the love of God.Many thanks to Heather Johnson for the use of her photo.
