come near to God

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

James 4:8 NIV

Have you ever wondered why you don't feel close to God? I have. Any time I felt that way, I have discovered that it was me keeping the distance.

James touches on this subject in James 4:8 “come near to God and He will come near to you”. He is basically saying, if you want to have a good relationship with God, work on your side of the relationship. He says this because God is near to us, if we are near to Him. Its never God that backs off in the relationship, its always us. It is our sinful state that needs to be worked on if we want to feel nearer to God again.

Look at what James says in the last half of the verse, “wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded”. He says that there are two things we need to take care of, to fix two problems that we have. We need to wash our hands because we are sinners. In other words we need to repent of our sins, ask forgiveness and wash our hands of the filth we have allowed ourselves to get into. We need to purify our hearts because we are double-minded. We also need to clean up our hearts, and get rid of whatever is sitting in God's place in our hearts. He says its because we are double-minded. We are double-minded because we don't have a singleminded focus on our relationship with God. We are trying to serve two masters, the world and God. We can't do both. Because we, “will be devoted to the one and despise the other”. Luke 16:13

So as always it takes a conscious effort on our part to to feel nearer to God. Today if you are feeling like distance has come between you and God, do what it takes to close that gap.“Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” and come near to God.

© 2012 Leo J. Woodman

two men went up to the temple to pray

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

Luke 18:10 NIV

(Read Luke 18:10-14)

In this parable Jesus presents us with two men, presenting themselves to God. Two men that have two different attitudes about themselves before God. The first one says “God, I thank you that am not like other men”, I am religious. The second says “God, have mercy on me, a sinner”, I am hopeless. Two men with two totally different heart attitudes. One exalts himself before God, the other humbles himself before God.

When I read this parable I think of how spiritually dangerous it is to think that we are better off than others simply because we put on the appearance of righteousness. When we exalt ourselves in our minds and before God because we believe just because we don't participate in certain sins, we aren't guilty of any. We cannot justify ourselves before God, He does the justifying. Jesus makes this statement; "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:14 NIV Jesus says the man that admitted that he was a sinner is the one that went home justified. He had come before God in humility and was rewarded for it. One man prayed about himself, the other prayed for himself. God heard the latter.

Most of us probably don't pray the way the Pharisee did. But, we may behave in the same way when we look down on others for things they do. The interesting thing about our behavior is we have this attitude toward non-christians a lot of times. We have this strange idea that if we point out our religiosity and the sinful behavior of non-christians it will some how make them want to be like us. If you have ever acted this way toward someone, did it win them over? Probably not. Most likely it sent them in the opposite direction.

Our job as Christians is to win people over to Christ. The way to win people over to Christ is to present Him in our actions. Jesus humbled himself all the time. Just the fact that He came and lived among us shows us how humble He was. Jesus didn't say look at me and how good I am. He went to people where they were and helped them out of the mess they were in. He showed them mercy, love and compassion, not a judgmental attitude. Let us remember these three words in our interactions with others: mercy, love and compassion. This is what we all need, because as Paul said “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23 NIV Not one of us guiltless when comes to sin. If we are in Christ we have experienced mercy, love and compassion. Let others experience these things in us. Humble yourself and remember God does the justifying, not you.

© 2012 Leo J. Woodman