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.”
How close are you to God? Did you know you can be as close to God as you would like? James preaches here in James 4 for the believer to DRAW NEAR TO GOD. It may be read as an invitation, but it is an instructional command as in the Greek is it an imperative and an imperative is a command. To avoid the allure of the world (James 4:4) we are to DRAW NEAR TO GOD. You decide to get closer to Him. You decide to get to know Him more. You can be as close to God as you would like.
The decision to draw near to God brings about wonderful benefits as God draws near to you. This closeness to God allows you to know Him which is to know His love, His comfort, His strength, His guidance, His grace, etc. The more you know the more you grow deeper in love with Him as well as your trust in Him increases.
To draw near is to know His holiness. Yes, the closer you get to God you will know His beauty, His glory, and His holiness. Just as Isaiah (Isaiah 6) drew near to God and saw Him high and lifted up, (Oh what a glorious sight he saw), he heard angels crying out HOLY HOLY HOLY. Being this close to God, Isaiah’s sin was so evident and it led him to immediately confess.
Spiritual principle: The closer you get to God the more evident your sins become.
James now tells the believers to cleanse their hands and purify their hearts because being up close to God reveals how unclean we are. Though we are saved we still sin and have “dirty hands.” While at this moment there may be tremendous fear and even a desire to pull away I urge you not to. Humble yourself and confess your sins. By faith activate 1 John 1:9 knowing “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Drawing near to God brings about sweet fellowship that is unexplainable. As I write I recall singing the hymn Blessed Assurance where the third stanza says, “Perfect submission, all is at rest. I in my Savior am happy and bless’d, watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
On your DATE with the Word what is keeping you from getting closer to God?
AN APRIL TO BELIEVE Note:
With Easter on April 20, we are reading through the gospel of John. On this April 8th, we encourage you to read/listen to John 8 where Christ is the Light of the Word in moral darkness. The key verses regarding believing are John 8:24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” And John 8:30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.” May April be an April to Believe!
Continue Strong,
And remember to DATE The Word