Draw Near Unto God

“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

DRAW NEAR - God is the Almighty One, but He is also our Father. He is holy, perfect, and completely righteous. Can we therefore, draw near to Him? A loving God and Father would never exhort us to do that which is impossible for us to do. We can draw near to God if we heed His word and His will, and if it is our sincere desire to be near to Him.

Long ago, the Psalmist had something to say about this matter when he asked two questions and then proceeded to answer them. “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that has clean hands and a pure heart.” In these words, we find the principle that must guide us in our search to know how to draw near to God. Evidently, the hands must be clean and the heart must be pure. Is this another way of saying that our conduct must be pleasing to God and that the motive of all our thinking and performing must be wholly based upon God’s will?

All through the Scriptures, we find a principle showing that there is God’s part and there is our part. We cannot control God’s part, but we can increase or diminish our own part. Let us look at the Scripture so often used (and frequently misused) and see this dual action in operation. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure “(Phil. 2:12, 13). This is an exhortation to the child of God to do something and to do it with great care and great reverence.

This is not a light, go-as-you-please Christian mode of living. If God so loves us and is so interested in us as to work in us a glorious sanctifying work, what should be our attitude and response? We are sure that every loving child will cry out, “0h, that I could serve Him more; 0h, that I could draw near unto Him!”

“Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me!

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer to Thee!”

If these words express the sincere sentiments of your heart, give thanks to God and press on to draw near unto Him!

LIPS AND HEART - When we express ourselves to our Father, we must ever remember that at the same time He can read our hearts. This is brought sharply to our notice in the Scripture that reads as follows, “This people draw near to me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isaiah. 29:13). It is true that these words were originally, applied to Israel, but let us remember Romans15:4, “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.” If we would draw near to God, we must be honest with God. Our words and our actions may pass muster with those around us; we may even be praised by those we fellowship with, but is the heart pure and sincere, and is our motive inspired by the Spirit of the Lord? We should hesitate to draw near with our lips if our hearts are far from God and His will and way.

Soon our Master will be here and we surely do not wish to be “ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28). With a pure heart and sincere service unto the Lord, it is possible to have confidence and not shame at that crucial time. If we abide in Christ now our meeting with Him in the air will be a glorious experience. How very zealous we should now be! How anxious to learn to know the will of God we should be, and equally anxious to perform it. Dear, loving Father do guide us into Your will and when we know it, grant unto us the strength to perform it! Do not permit us to exercise our own will in matters that ultimately influence our eternal salvation, or hinder us in our present service for You! You have made it possible for us to approach You acceptably through Christ our Redeemer and our earnest prayer is that in accord with the words that Jesus gave, we may abide in Christ and thus abide in Your love and in Your favor (John 15). It is through the better hope, based on our Lord’s sacrifice that we draw near to God (Hebrews 7:19-20; 10:19-22).

It was not a fanciful, theoretical prayer that Jude uttered when he prayed that we might keep ourselves in the love of God. It is something that we must do, and we should bend all our energy to please God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us ask ourselves - at the present moment can our Father and our Master be pleased with the effort that we are making to be in full harmony with them? Are we thinking, speaking and acting as chosen sons of God? These are solemn but very necessary thoughts at all times.

PEACEABLE FRUIT - One cannot draw near unto God without experiencing a mighty influence. One cannot endeavor to follow in the footsteps of the Master and press up close to Him without undergoing a great change. God is love, and to come in any slight manner near unto Him is to have His love shed abroad in the heart.

Our Father is the God of peace and surely, His sons must possess this divine quality. “Follow (pursue) peace with all men and holiness” (Heb. 12:14) is compulsory upon all now especially if we hope to meet the Lord in the air. The Prince of Peace gathers peaceful brethren. Peace must be within our hearts, and without towards all. Is this our present state and condition? If it is not, then we should at once take the matter to the Lord and ask His help and His counsel.

Our peace within is the prerogative of the children of God for they know His love; they know His great purpose that is being worked out and they further know of their own personal relationship to their Father and Lord Jesus. If we lack inward peace, there is something wrong. Draw near to God, your Father, and He will draw near to you!

Our outward peace can spring only from inward peace. This outward peace is the only visible expression of the inward peace and is observed by others. Again, we should ask ourselves what we are showing? Jesus clearly stated in John 14: 27 that He gave His peace to His disciples, and that it would remain with them to the extent that it would banish all worry and fear. Do we believe this statement? If we do, and then are worried and fearful, it suggests that we have not fully realized the words and consequently not laid hold upon the divinely given promise. Prayer is the great remedy, and prayer is drawing near to God. More prayer, more peace of heart and mind! This peace gained, the other promises shine gloriously in such Scriptures as Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Col. 3:15.

HOLY MEN - To be now, at the present time, a holy man or woman should deeply interest us if we declare that our hope is in the returning Lord. Our Master is coming for holy ones! Those spoken of in the Scriptures as holy ones were always active in the service of God. All who are now recipients of God’s special attention and responsive to that loving regard are described as holy ones. There is no holiness in one unless there is a reciprocal loving response.

Again, let us examine ourselves whether we are in accord with the Scriptures. Have we any evidence that we are called? Do we know that God has set His love upon us? Are we at peace with God through our acceptance of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is God working in us by His Holy Spirit and are we diligent to work out? Is the fulfillment of all our hopes centered in the coming of the Lord? Is our whole life here on earth focused on His Return?

Then we are holy men and women!

Why should this point be stressed now? Because our absorbing hope is that of meeting our Lord and Master and then of being ushered into the presence of our Father. These both are holy, heaven is holy and the angels are holy. It is not possible for the sons of God to be less. We must, therefore, make every effort to know how to live holy lives here and now, and thus happy shall we be if we make every effort to translate the divinely given knowledge into divinely guided activity. This is only possible by God’s grace.

Soon, very soon, this body of humiliation that we now have will be changed completely and in its place will be a most glorious one in which it will be fully possible to serve our loving heavenly Father in a way that is now to us incomprehensible, but yet we yearn to do so.

How ought we, holy ones, at the present time show our love, appreciation and joy for all that has been done for us and for all that the future will grant us?

“For our conversation (conduct) is in heaven; from where also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile (“the body of our humiliation”) body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself” (Phil. 3: 20, 21).

Nearness to God and

nearness to Christ Jesus

should be our goal.

From Bible Student Magazine

“Be Holy because I, the LORD your God, am Holy.”

Lev. 19:2

Take time to be holy, speak oft with Thy Lord;

Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.

Make friends of God’s children; help those who are weak;

Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone;

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, be calm in your soul;

Each thought and each motive beneath His control;

Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,

You soon shall be fitted for service above.

William D. Longstaff, 1882