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

love images of Jesus loving us!

 
I love this beginning of the verse. The verse before (verse 7) tells us to “Submit therefore to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  These are lovely instructions from James, Jesus’s half brother.  As a Christian I can’t imagine hearing this and not understanding what a gift we have in Jesus.  His death paid a price that allows us in, into a redemptive place of grace, where we can actually draw near to God and feel what that is.  And, it is a free gift, definitely not earned.  Amazing!
 
Then I wonder, how is it I can feel His arms around me when I draw near and still allow distance to grow between us in the day to day life?  It is this flesh. This flesh in a broken world. It is sin and I know how to recognize it.  If you don’t know how study the word.  It’s all in there and all of us Christians need to know how to live the life God wants for us.  It isn’t my rules or the preacher’s or pastor’s or even the priest’s rules, it’s the order from the One Who created all order and life.  It’s God’ will for our will. We turn it over to Him because He absolutely knows best.
 
 

Paul tells his disciples in Christ; So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God Who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.  Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.- Philippians 2:12-15  NASB

 
I can’t quote a better set of verses!  For it is God at work in us.  There is none else to refine us and purify us for His kingdom.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Selah.