“Come nearer to God and He will come nearer to you.” James 4:8
James 4:8 is a promise. If we work at drawing closer to God, He will come closer to us.
When do you draw closer to God?
If you’re like me, I tend to draw closer to God during the trials of this life. The times I see as the greatest spiritual breakthroughs are often the times of toughest trials. But I’m not convinced that is the only way to draw closer to Him.
What happens when we are content? Do we go through life, merrily on our way, easily distracted from God by what’s happening around us? Does it often take those times of trials for us to refocus our attention on God?
How do we focus on Him when things are going well?
Do we humbly acknowledge the blessings of a quiet day? Do we notice the blessings in a new day and praise God for it? Do we converse with Him about the seemingly simple blessings, acknowledging them and thanking Him for them?
When our lives are going well, do we ask for an opportunity to be a blessing for someone else? Do we stop and consider the idea that in contentment, we are greatly blessed? And we need to take that blessing and turn around and bless others.
I have no idea what your day looks like: littered with trials or abundant in blessings. Either way, God can and will use it all to draw you closer to Himself. If, you choose to allow Him.
Reflections:
Monday: When do I draw closer to God?
Tuesday: When I am content, not experiencing major trials, how is my relationship with God then?
Wednesday: In contentment, do I actively search out how to bless others?
Thursday: How do I work at my relationship with God when I am content?
Friday: Prayer: Lord, You promise to draw closer to me when I draw closer to You. Please help me to do just that: draw closer to You and not become too distracted by the things in this life. How easy it can become to buzz through life, my lips praising You to others, yet my mind not truly focusing on You. Please help me to stop and humble myself before You, whether in crisis or peace. Thank you for all You have done, In Jesus’ names, Amen.
This is one of my favorite verses. I’ve shared it more with others than probably any other verse.
It’s a favorite of mine too! Thanks for sharing! Stefanie > Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 21:27:13 +0000 > To: Stefanie_L_Brown@hotmail.com >
Love your words thank you so much for them and the challenge to be more proactive in our times of contentment.
Thank you for your kind words. Have a great week! Stefanie