The Importance of Drawing Near..Craig Denison Ministries

 The Importance of Drawing Near

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

The Christmas season is a powerful and unique time of year to remember that Jesus came to make a way for us to be near God. In his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus built a bridge between us and God allowing us to have continual, unhindered communion with our Creator. But God can’t force us into nearness with him. Even as believers filled with the Holy Spirit, we can choose to live as if God is still far off. So this Christmas season, may we choose to open our hearts to the living God that we might experience fullness of joy in his loving presence.

Scripture:

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

Devotional:

James 4:8 contains a profound promise of God. Scripture says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” For a while I thought this verse seemed backwards. Doesn’t God do the drawing? Isn’t God the one who’s constantly pursuing us?

After diving deeper into the meaning of James 4:8 I discovered an important truth that’s foundational to living in communion with God: the door of God’s heart is always open to us. His love is always for us. His presence is always available. The Father turned away from Jesus as ours sins rested squarely on his shoulders ensuring he would never have to turn away from us.

To draw near to God is to simply open our hearts to what was always available. It’s not that God ever withholds his presence from us. It’s that he never forces us to abide in him. If we want to go our own way, he willingly and patiently waits for us. And the moment that we turn our hearts back to him, he is there to fill us with a revelation of his loving nearness and unwavering devotion.

In his book, The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer describes two veils. The first veil was the veil between the Holy of Holies and the world that was torn at the death of Jesus, signifying the availability of God’s manifest presence to all. The second veil is the veil of our own hearts that’s our decision to tear by God’s grace.

Whether it’s the effects of sin and shame or a lack of understanding what’s available to us in Christ, all of us have the ability to veil places in our hearts. All of us can shield our beliefs about our identity, our possessions, or our relationships from the abiding presence of Jesus and live apart from communion with him. We all have the ability at any given moment to go our own way and miss out on abundant life.

But the truth is that the Christian life isn’t about our ability to abide in God perfectly, but about God’s grace to draw near to us in response to repentance. God has no expectation that we would live this life perfectly. He remembers our frame and knows we are dust (Psalm 103:14). What he desires from us is to allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate any parts of our lives that aren’t his that we would be quick to repent and enjoy his grace-filled presence once again. God is not angry with you for veiling your heart. He knows better than you do the reasons you aren’t letting him fully in. His heart is filled with the fullness of compassion for you that you might live to experience his grace rather than strive and condemn yourself for your imperfection.

Take time today to rend the veil of your own heart, draw near to God, and experience the glory of his manifest presence.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s promise to draw near to you if you will draw near to him. Allow the truth of God’s word to fill you with faith to encounter God.

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

2. What parts of your heart seem veiled today? Where are you going your own way? Where in your life are you not experiencing abundant life in God synonymous with communion with him?

3. Rend the veil over your own heart today and allow God to flood those places with his forgiveness and grace. Take time to allow him to fill you with a revelation of his love.

“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19-20

May Hebrews 10:19-22 provide joy and hope to your heart as you seek to draw near to your heavenly Father:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Extended Reading: Hebrews 10

Walk Together in Marriage..Dr. Michael A. Milton

 Walk Together in Marriage

By Dr. Michael A. Milton

“Be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love.” - Ephesians 5:1-2

If there has ever been a time when we needed divine guidance on marriage, now is that time. Mercifully, the Bible is filled with God’s truth about this most essential institution. Consider the truth and life from the devotional thoughts in Ephesians 5:1, 22-33. Here the  Apostle Paul is applying the love of the Lord Jesus Christ to wives and husbands in marriage. Now this passage contains two admonitions: one for the wife and one for the husband. And they're both grounded in that anchor verse, Ephesians 5:1-2a: “Be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love.”

Paul writes to wives in Ephesus, “Submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is head of the Church, His body, and is, Himself, its Savior. Now, as the Church submits to Christ, so, also, wives should submit in everything to their husbands.” If the Apostle’s teaching sounds unequivocal, it is undoubtedly because Paul had to use precision short of terseness. Why? One might opine that it was because Ephesus, like other pre-Christian Asia Minor and Southern European pagan religions, emphasized female deities and the complicating (and degrading) role relationships that the sexually-charged religion produced. However, others believe that the issue is deeper than culture. Humankind after the Fall was (and remains) infected with predictable dark dispositions that must be addressed: the fallen female can be inclined to misuse her feminine influence to beguile. In contrast, the fallen male defaults to his greater physical strength and consequent “tribal” dominance to "lord it” over the woman in brutish and violent ways. Mankind’s (male and female) fallen condition is interminably unjust and invariably disastrous.

Mercifully, the gospel reverses such pathologies of the fall and exalts the beauty of the complementary relationship between men and women, in general, and husbands and wives, in particular. Like so much in Western Civilization, such quant customs as opening a door for a woman or the more dire “law of the sea” of placing women and children on the lifeboat before men are manners and practices born of Christian theology—actions that reinforce the teaching of the gospel, and, therefore, serve to strengthen society. The confusion or loss of such customs is certainly linked to a decline of Christianity’s influence.

Paul calls men to “husband” their wives—to cultivate lives of honor: “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself up for her that He might sanctify her having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word so that He might present the Church to Himself, in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”

The exhortations to the wife and husband are equally extraordinary and, similarly, demanding. The directives are to be understood in the context of a prevailing metaphor: the relationship of Christ and the Church. Because the Lord Jesus loved the Church by dying for her, believers need not be coerced into submission to Christ. Rather, as divine love motivated the supreme missional act of the Son of God to leave His royal robes of heaven, come to earth to suffer and die on a cross (e.g., John 3:16), so, too, a Spirit-wrought response of love captures the wills of sinners, and grace compels them to repent and believe. Isaac Watts expressed this submission:

“Were the whole realm of nature mine that were a present far too small. Love so amazing and divine demands my soul, my life, my all." (Isaac Watts)

There are, at least, two theological truths that allow for the commands to wives and husbands to be fulfilled.

Love and Law
When we receive the soul-transforming epiphany that grace precedes and prompts obedience to God we are released from the tyranny of a “works-based religion.” We are, then, released (and “re-wired”) to embrace the Law of God by enjoying of the love of God. Thus, the metaphor is a signpost for marriage: a husband initiates a sacrificial Christ-like love for his wife. The wife responds in a total “sweet surrender” to her husband. The metaphor with scriptural roots in the Song of Solomon is clearly acknowledging, at once, a spiritual, covenantal, and physical intimacy that is unparalleled in human relations.

Union in Christ
It is funny to imagine: theologians, dressed like 18th-century British archeologists, in a safari hat and tropical khakis, running hither and yon at night, with a net in one hand and a mason jar in the other, trying to catch the moonlight. Yet, the scene is not far from the reality of theologians attempting to express the glorious revelations of God’s Word. No revelation is more wondrously inexplicable than the doctrine of our “union with Christ.” To be united to our Lord Jesus in salvation is to become one with Him (without our becoming divine or Christ diminishing His deity). Thus, the Lord prayed, “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfectly one” (John 17:23 ESV).

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Paul said of our union in Christ: “This mystery is profound” (Ephesians 5:32). Yet, this is not the kind of mystery which is a riddle. The Apostle means that the revelation is an incomparable vision: “too good to be true,” we might say. Biblical marriage is the cornerstone of civilization. Should we deny or diminish the institution of marriage as revealed by God we demean humanity, and desecrate the gift of  And, yet, the illustration closest to perceiving our union in Christ is a man and a woman living in holy matrimony. What if we acted as if that were so?

When Work is a Nightmare..RJ Thesman

 When Work is a Nightmare (Colossians 3:23)

By: RJ Thesman

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23).

Working in a dream environment is a goal for most of us. But when the dream turns into a toxic nightmare, how do we climb out of bed every morning and make ourselves go to work? What are some practical tools we can use in the workforce? And what is the Christian’s responsibility when dealing with difficult co-workers?

First, try to understand what's happening.

The Native American proverb is still a good principle, “Don’t judge people until you’ve walked a mile in their moccasins.”

In today’s work environment, everyone is dealing with some type of stress. A co-worker whose fibromyalgia flares every morning will not be a cheery person. The same goes for a mother whose son is facing prison time or a wife who is struggling to keep her marriage together. A deadly prognosis from the doctor. Depression, mounting debt, a parent with Alzheimer’s disease. All these issues and more can be festering in a nearby cubicle. Try to understand what’s at the root of the difficult relationship.

Next, Remember: Humility wins.

The balance between standing up for ourselves and showing humility is a delicate line. But in the long run, we need to ask ourselves, “How can I sleep tonight if I respond to this co-worker with the same bad attitude? What does God require of me in this situation?”

The biblical example is Joseph, who was mistreated, betrayed, and misunderstood. Yet he humbly continued to serve even while imprisoned. “God granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden” (Genesis 39:21) and eventually Joseph was released and promoted.

Joseph also knew when to set a boundary and stand up for his rights. “Remember me,” Joseph said to Pharaoh’s cupbearer, “and show me kindness. Mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison” (Genesis 40:14).

Finally - Pray for them.

Even if your prayers don’t release you from the situation, they can strengthen your resolve “to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

A whispered prayer after an unkind remark can release resentment that might have festered into bitterness. An honest petition to the Holy Spirit to comfort the hardened places in difficult co-workers might become the salve of their salvation. We rarely understand the full scope and power of prayer. What it can accomplish is a mystery. Sometimes just repeating the name, “Jesus,” has helped me past the struggle of the moment.

As one of my encouraging friends says, “Do your best and surrender the rest.”

An Advent Prayer for Peace..Emma Danzey

 An Advent Prayer for Peace

By Emma Danzey

John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

This time of year can feel hectic and overwhelming. There are a million to-do lists happening at once, family schedules to be worked out, travel plans to be solidified, and more. It can be easy to fall into the temptation to be anxious, stressed, or fearful. However, as we focus on the fourth candle of Advent today, may we remember the wonderful gift of peace that Jesus has brought to us.

Let's pray:

Prince of Peace,
We call upon You today to acknowledge that the only true way for us to have lasting, external peace is only through You. You say in John 16:33 that we will have trials and hard times, but You have overcome the world so we can take heart. You have justified us by faith so we can have peace with God. Thank You for coming down to earth in a manger and dying on the cross for our sins. This was no small thing. This was an act of great love, and we praise You for it. We are grateful that You have freed us from the powers of darkness and the slavery of fear.

Jesus, You tell us in Isaiah 26:3 that You will keep those whose minds are on You in perfect peace. Would you renew our minds today? Where there is chaos or worry, would you replace that with rest and peace? Take away our fears and our uncertainties. Help us to truly trust in You. Give us a newfound appreciation for the ability to live out this fruit of the Spirit. We know that when we accept You, we have Your Spirit, and we have Your peace. Help us to choose to live by Your Spirit and not by our flesh. Help us to be guarded by Your peace in our minds and our hearts.

We confess that we have not trusted You as we should. Please forgive us for trying to be in control, not resting in Your sovereignty, and going our own ways. You are gracious and so kind to walk alongside us even in our weakness. Help us never to believe that we are unable to change or live in Your peace. You are still the same God You have always been, You have never changed, You raise Yourself from the dead, and with You, all things are possible.

Lord, help us not only to have your peace but to share it with others. You say that peacemakers are blessed. (Matthew 5:9) Would You enable us by the power of Your Spirit to make peace with others? May our lives and the ways that we share truth in love and the choices we make reflect Your heart. Help us to be obedient to You. Give us Your strength to not just keep the peace or people please, but truly be peacemakers in healthy and godly ways. You desire us to live peaceably with each other in the family of God. Give us great wisdom on how to be obedient to You in this, even when it is not easy.

Jesus, help us to pursue Your peace and turn from evil. In a world of great hate and division, help us to love well and to live out the truth of Your gospel. Give us ways to be peaceful and kind even in challenging situations and when we face cultural conflict. May we represent You in amazing ways with the help of Your Holy Spirit.

This Christmas season, help us not to be anxious about anything but to pray about everything and know Your peace that is beyond our understanding. Remind us of the peace that came to earth through our Savior, Jesus. We praise You for this new covenant of peace and restoration. Help us to remember that we no longer have to be afraid because You have defeated death and the grave. You have given us the guarantee of eternal life. We praise you, Jesus. Amen.

This Christmas, Receive the Best Gift Ever Given..Rick Warren

 This Christmas, Receive the Best Gift Ever Given

By Rick Warren

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us — set us right with him, make us fit for him — we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus” (Romans 5:1 The Message).

God knew before you were born that you would be reading this in this moment. He planned to get your attention for just a few seconds so he could say this to you: “I’ve seen every hurt in your life, and I’ve never stopped loving you. You matter to me. I love you more than you will ever know. I made you to love you, and I’ve been waiting for you to love me back.” 

If you gave me a Christmas gift and I never opened it, you would be disappointed. And it would be a worthless gift, because I don’t receive the benefit of a gift I never opened. 

Jesus Christ is God’s Christmas gift to you. Yet some of us have gone Christmas after Christmas and never opened the best gift of all: God’s gift of salvation. Why even celebrate Christmas if you’re not going to open the biggest gift? It doesn’t make sense to leave unwrapped the gift of your past forgiven, a purpose for living, and a home in Heaven.

God has made a way for you this Christmas to be right with him, and all you have to do is receive his gift of salvation. The Bible says, “By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us — set us right with him, make us fit for him — we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus” (Romans 5:1 The Message).

Below is a prayer I prayed years ago when I stepped across the line and accepted Jesus. It’s a simple prayer. If these words express the desire in your heart, then praye them. 

“Dear God, I’m scared, but I want to get to know you. I don’t understand it all, but I thank you that you love me. I thank you that you were with me even when I didn’t recognize it. I thank you that you are for me, that you didn’t send Jesus to condemn me but to save me. 

“Today I want to receive the Christmas gift of your Son. I ask you to save me from my past, my regrets, my mistakes, my sins, my habits, my hurts, and my hang-ups. Save me from myself. 

“I ask you to save me for your purpose. I want to know why you put me on this planet. And I want to fulfill what you made me to do. I want to learn to love you and trust you and have a relationship with you. 

“I need peace with you, God, and I need you to put your peace in my heart. I need you to take away the stress and fill me with your love. Help me be a peacemaker and help others find peace with you and each other. In your name I pray. Amen.”