Tag Archives: James 4:8

Keeping a distance or getting close?

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I’ve often reflected on our nature as Christians to run with excitement to the Palm Sunday scene. We love the pageantry of waving palms with a popular crowd, and singing, “Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest! But we are reluctant to come close to the cross at Calvary. It’s discomforting to participate with Jesus in his suffering.

 

Franklin Graham makes a similar comparison, noting that as Jesus was led to his crucifixion, “Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end” (Matthew 26:58). Graham continues: “Many Christians in America today want to follow Jesus at a distance. They want to give themselves a little room—they want to watch which way the wind will blow before they are publicly seen too close to the Lord. When Jesus is portrayed in a good light or when it’s comfortable, they will stand next to Him. But if Jesus is going to be mocked or cursed or insulted, they want to stay back until they know how things will go.”

 

Perhaps it’s time for each of us to ask God to search our hearts and reveal the ways in which we are maintaining space between us and him. We ask God to come close when we sing praise, study scripture, seek him in prayer, and in times of our own trials. But is that enough? What about those conversations with nonbelievers who are uncomfortable with talk of God and Jesus? Do we become uncomfortable too? Do we turn away from God when we go to work or get busy with our chores and hobbies, believing God still lives in a temple building – forgetting that we ourselves are God’s temple? (1 Corinthians 3:16. 1 Corinthians 6:19) God inhabits his temple, so if we are his temple, he goes with us in every area of our lives! Let us not only meet him at church but celebrate him everywhere we go.

 

What better time than the beginning of a new year to decide to draw close to God, and not leave him at a distance?! Let’s singlemindedly decide to honor him in everything we do.

 

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4-8

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance(A) from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24

 

Draw me close to you

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Every day, do something that brings you closer to God.

 

Taking time to meditate is vital to a growing faith. But meditation can be a challenge. We aren’t conditioned in our society to be in silence. In fact, much of our life is filled with noise and activity, leaving little time for God. So how do you quiet yourself so you can enjoy the peace of his presence?

Sometimes I reflect on a particular passage of scripture, focusing on one word or phrase at a time. Sometimes I ponder one of God’s attributes (his love, mercy, goodness, power, etc). Sometimes I will focus on a hymn or praise song that helps to bring me into his presence. It’s all about drawing close to Him in the quiet of the day and in the busyness of life. God promises that if we will draw close to him and humble ourselves, he will draw close to us. Donnie McClurkin’s song Draw Me Close To You may be a good place to start. Read through the words and let there be periods of rest and silence between verses, so you have a place where God can speak to you. You may even want to stop and focus just on one word or phrase. Resist the temptation to rush on to some other activity. We may well make more of a difference by doing less and drawing close to God more. Be blessed in the time you spend with God.

“Draw Me Close To You” – Donnie McClurkin

Draw me close to You
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear You say that I’m Your friend

You are my desire
And no one else will do
‘Cause nothing else can take Your place
To feel the warmth of Your embrace

Help me find a way
Bring me back to You

You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know You are near

You are my desire
And no one else will do
‘Cause nothing else can take Your place
To feel the warmth of Your embrace

Help me find a way
Bring me back to You

You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know You are near
Help me know You are near
Help me know You are near

 

A Way Out of Pain

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Sometimes it is easier to sit in a puddle than to get out of the rain. If you’ve ever tried to push a car out of the mud or snow, you know what I mean. You give everything you have to give. Maybe you take a breather and do it again, and again. But eventually, you realize, this “mountain” is not going to move…not by MY efforts. So you gather up enough energy to get back into the car and sink into the seat. In exhaustion, your mind wrestles with, “Who am I going to call for help?”

Now, I know, calling for help should be the first step when the ‘mud’ of life sinks us into a pit of despair. But even calling out seems to take so much energy. The reality of the pain is so ever-present, so consuming, I cannot ignore it. But I cannot live with it all day either. Sleeping much of the day is a nice anesthetic, but it is temporary and staying in bed contributes to the problem rather than solving it.

I know that giving thanks to God is my only hope because God inhabits praise and there is no quicker way to draw closer to Him than to thank Him. But even that seems to take more effort than I have to give.

And so here is the choice we all face: sit in the puddle of our pain, miserable and without hope, or with each incoming breath, give thanks to God for one specific thing. Exhale the tension you feel, and with the next breath thank Him for another. If you run out of things for which you are thankful, Google “the promises of God” and give thanks for each of these.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8

Progressive Learning

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Like much of life, this experience with Leukemia has been one of progressive learning. Either only so much information is released at a time or the mind can only absorb so much, or both. Recently, three revelations have struck us:
1. I underestimated the toll of the higher dose of chemo in this round and the cumulative effect on my body of three rounds of chemo in four months. I am making excellent, ahead of the curve progress, but night sweats, continued difficulty swallowing, and fatigue from engraftment and producing billions of blood cells daily are a greater challenge than expected. I discipline myself with expectation for a quick recovery.
2. With all the focus on quantity of blood cells produced, and the recently explosion of white blood cells in my body, I didn’t realize that most of these are rather immature cells. Comparing the work of a teenage intern to a master craftsman, my cells are doing good work, but not as effectively as they once will. So vulnerability will continue for some time.
3. The real surprise, which I should have figured out, is that when I made the decision to crucify my own sick immune system and replace it with my donor’s, I lost the protection of all my lifetime vaccinations. I will inherit some benefit from my donor’s immune system, but will have to be revaccinated for many childhood and adult diseases. And since my immune system is currently immature, I will have to wait a year before I can have any ‘live’ vaccinations, otherwise I would be susceptible to contracting the actual disease itself.

Isn’t life like this? There is a certain amount of maturity we can grasp at a young age (and so many exceed at this). But either through choice or other limitations, we seem to take a slower route to maturity than would seem necessary. We come across those ‘ah hah’ moments when we say, “Wow, I should have known that already.” Sometimes it is the ‘less mature’ young ones who remind us older ones of the important lessons of life.

Growing up in the image of God is the same way. Some wisdom only comes from a progressively disciplined life of pursuing Him. But much wisdom for daily living and business of life is available with just a little effort and desire to know the one who created you. The best way to Go Light Your World is to cultivate a relationship with THE Light of the world. Be blessed in pursuing that today. It starts with a simple conversation. And watch the friendship progressively grow from there!

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8