Separated to God

If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). Whoever lives and believes in Christ shall never die (John 11:26). Our last breath on earth is followed by our next breath in Heaven. We will live on eternally.

The extent to which we surrender our lives to God determines the degree to which He will use our life on this earth. There is no place for double mindedness, compromise with sin or half-hearted devotion (Luke 9:62).

A committed and separated life to Christ, who lives within us, demands that we live an estranged life from this world (Romans 14:7-8). Christ is the center of our focus and our pre-eminent Love (Revelation 2:4).

We pant after Him with a parched thirst, yield our goals for our life to the will of God, and relinquish our selfish desires to God's transforming power (Psalm 42:1-2).

Even in negative circumstances, He promises to prosper us, not to allow anything to harm us as He cares for us, and to give us hope for our future (Jeremiah 29:11).

As we submit to God and resist the devil, we walk in freedom from Satan’s influence in our life (James 4:7). We transfer the ownership of our life to God and we live as good stewards of all He created.

Giving up our human rights, we exchange them for His privileges. We swap our character traits, which hold us back from success, for the victory we find in a life hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

God gives us the divine nature of Christ with all the fruit of His Spirit (1 Peter2:4; Galatians 5:22-23). We come to like our self much more in this transformed state than we did in our carnal state. We dedicate all of our days to His service.

Prayer:

Father God, as we repent of our sins and seek You, we have your peace and favor surrounding us (Job 22:21). Abandoning our life for Your sake, we live in obedience to You, just as Jesus did. We live, move and have our being in You (Acts 17:28).

Give us this day our daily bread, forgive our trespasses against Your will, and help us to forgive those who wound us. We give You all the power and glory and honor due to Your name and we commit to serve in Your Kingdom every moment of every day (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Thought for the Day:

God calls us to be holy in Him, and to be separated to God in this life and the next. - Psalm 4:3

Experiencing God's Presence

 

There is no place on earth more fulfilling than living in God's presence. He reveals to us the path of life, fills us with His joy and gives us pleasures, which last for an eternity (Psalm 16:11).

His presence abides in us and He gives us His rest (Exodus 33:14). We continually commune with Him through prayer (Psalm 145:18-19). When we draw near to Him, He comes closer to us (James 4:8).

At times, we may sense God's presence, but He is always near to us, living within us (Genesis 28:16). We find Him if we take the time to seek Him with our whole heart and soul (Deuteronomy 4:29).

Regardless of our behavior, His graciousness, compassion, attention, mercy and love accompany the presence of God in our life; although our sins will break His heart and grieve His Spirit (2 Kings 13:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). 

Brokenhearted people find soothing comfort in God's presence; and, in our humility, He will save us from every one of our afflictions (Psalm 34:18-19). 

God's goodness is magnanimous to those who submit to Him. Words fail to describe what He has planned for those who trust Him (Psalm 31:19-20).

As our refuge and strength, God keeps us safe from every enemy, from strife and from gossips (Psalm 46:1). His plans are not evil, and He intends for us to prosper in Him (Jeremiah 29:11).

Prayer:

Father God, create a clean heart in us, and help us to refresh our commitment to You. We thank You for not casting us away from Your presence or removing Your Spirit from within us when we fall into sin (Psalm 51:10-11).

We come into Your presence with gratitude for all that You do for us, and we shout joyfully in praises to You. You are our great King, our Savior and God (Psalm 95:2-3).

Thought for the Day:

We joyfully serve the Lord and dwell in His presence with a continual song in our heart and on our lips. - Psalm 100:2

The Loving Hand of God

 

 

Children often fault their parents for disciplining them. A child may consider his/her parents as cruel and vindictive, when they are merely teaching them self-discipline. We feel this way towards God sometimes too. We gripe and complain because He does not jump at our commands and give us the whims of our heart. Much of the discipline we receive from God is simply due to our self-centeredness. Our character defects hinder our ability to love Him and His ability to use us for His Kingdom.

Our egocentricity impedes our relationship with God. We love our self more than we love God or anyone else. The only escape for us from this troubling scenario is to humble our self under the mighty hand of God. As we submit to His discipline, He will lift us out of the quicksand of our spiritual desolation (James 4:10). He smoothes our jagged edges and fills our hollow heart with the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Our standards and focus gradually change as we mature in Christ and draw closer to God (James 1:4).

We soon learn the joy of living in the center of God’s will. His peace fills our life and we experience fewer times of tribulation and struggle. We see Him working out His purpose in our life and in the world around us. When life throws us a curve ball, the Holy Spirit is right there to catch it and to guide us around the bases of life to a home run. We mount up on wings as eagles and soar above the carnal, earthly realm of life (Isaiah 40:31). He satisfies us with every good and perfect gift and gives us what we need to do His will with our life (James 1:17).

During the good times, we forget that God is the one who provides us with the ability to gain health, wealth and success in this life. We tend to take credit for our accomplishments, to neglect His Word and to cease from living in constant prayer (Deuteronomy 8:10-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). Our pride overcomes any humility that God worked into our life, and we live from our own resources until they start to fail us once again (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). Then we are right back at the foot of the cross, ready to take that steep climb to victory all over again.

When we come to realize that God is with us, even in the valleys of life (Psalm 23:4), we can trust our life to His faithfulness. We live as a beacon of hope to the drowning world all around us. We lead them to safety on the Rock of Christ (Psalm 61:2). We introduce them to the truths of God’s Word and we welcome them into our fellowship of Believers. The key to success in life is to seek the Lord for His direction, to trust in Him with our whole heart, not to depend upon our human wisdom and to follow His Spirit’s direction every moment of the day (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Prayer:

Father God, we humble our self under Your mighty hand, and You lift us up in Your perfect timing (1 Peter 5:6). Our heart hopes in You, as You raise us up with Your right hand in which we find eternal pleasures (Psalm 63:8, 16:11). We seek asylum in Your loving right hand (Psalm 17:7). When our heart is overwhelmed, we cry to You for help. You lead us to safety of the Rock of Christ (Psalm 61:2). You lift Your loving hand to help the afflicted (Psalm 10:12). You deliver us from our enemies (Psalm 138:7; Exodus 15:6). Thank You for sending Jesus, the radiance of Your splendor and the precise image of Your nature who sits at Your right hand, to uphold the universe by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3)

Thought for the Day:

God is the Lord of our valleys, but He is also the Lord of our mountaintops.
– Psalm 23

Drawing Near to God

Read: Hebrews 10:19-22

“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.