“GETTING CLOSER TO GOD” Lesson 178

When we hear of an author or a celebrity that we like we do all we can to get to know that person better by reading their autobiographies. When we are in love with someone we do all we can to get closer to that person by finding out their likes and dislikes, their needs and desires. To get closer to God we must read His autobiography and find out His likes, dislikes and His desires. We will find in John 21:25 that “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written”. My humble translation of this verse is that if we read the Bible on a daily basis for the rest of our lives, we will never learn everything there is to learn about our Lord and Savior. Revelation 12:12 speaks of the devil’s time being short. This is referring to the time when he will be cast out of heaven for the last and final time only to be “loosed” for a time (Rev. 20:1-3) to gather as many to his kingdom of hell as he possibly can. He knows that there is a short time before the casting out of heaven and even shorter time to pounce on the population of the earth before he is cast into eternal hell. Therefore it is his main purpose to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10) and to wear out the saints (Dan. 7:25). However, as we get closer to God we realize that He is our glory and the lifter of our heads and a shield around us (Ps. 3:3). He promises that if we come near to Him, He will come near to us (James 4:8) assuring us that His arm is not too short to reach us and He will do what He promises (Num. 11:23). “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame” (Rom. 10:11) and that is something we cannot say about any other friend except Jesus Christ.

Ask some how to know God better and draw closer to Him and their answers will be; “go to church every Sunday; go to Sunday school; join a Bible study group”. These are all good suggestions; however, this is only the tip of the iceberg in knowing God. We find in Mark 13:37 that Jesus instructs us to ever be on the watch. He compares His hour and day of the second coming to a man that leaves his house in charge of a servant with assigned tasks. Our bodies are the temples of Christ, His houses, and He has left us in charge and assigned us tasks while He is away. According to Jesus in Matthew 28:19 we are to “GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”. “If He comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone; ‘Watch’”! Five of the ten virgins were found sleeping and were left out of the wedding banquet (Matt. 25:1-13). This watch we have been assigned to is a 24/7 job and not to be put in little boxes of Sundays or prayer meetings on Wednesday nights. There is another kind of watch and that is the one that David prayed for. “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Ps. 141:3). James 3:8 tells us that no man can tame the tongue but you can surely ask God to help you as David requested. You cannot pass your watch to someone else since Jesus just told us that this He said to everyone. You must stand your own watch!

No one can get close to God part time. God calls this being lukewarm and He warns sternly against being neither hot nor cold in Revelation 3:15-16, saying that He will spit you out of His mouth. To Sardis He writes that they have the reputation of being alive but are really dead (Rev. 3:1). The only word of approval here is actually a word of rebuke as Christ declared that they had a reputation for being alive and apparently were regarded by their contemporaries as an effective church. However, Christ quickly stripped away their reputation of being alive by declaring, YOU ARE DEAD! Like the Pharisees, their outer appearance was a façade hiding their lack of life (Matt. 23:27-28). Christ added that He has not found their deeds complete in the sight of God. They were falling far short of fulfilling their obligations as believers. Are you falling short? Are you as close to God as you would like to be or know you need to be? The church of Sardis was warned to wake up from their spiritual slumber and to strengthen the few evidences of life they still had. Can others recognize the evidences of Christianity in you? Can you find them in yourself? Jesus said that He was coming suddenly and unexpectedly. Would you not like to be living close enough to God to “feel” His coming daily? Close enough to hear Him knocking (Rev. 3:20)? The best way to get closer to God is on your knees, devoting yourself to prayer (Col. 4:2), straining toward what is ahead (Phil. 3:13-14). Because, guess what? What is ahead is that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:10-11). I think I would rather already be kneeling and not wait to be forced when Jesus comes again. How about you?

We, just as Adam, were created for God’s pleasure and that we He might fellowship with us (Rev. 4:11). It is hard to fellowship with someone you never see or talk to and it is hard to see God and talk to Him unless you spend time searching. “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you” (Jer. 29:12-14). He has made good plans for your life (Jer. 29:11), comforts you every time you have trouble (2 Cor. 1:4), and never changes His mind about the people He calls and the things He gives them (Rom. 11:29). You can not ask for a better friend than Jesus! In turn He wants your praise, obedience and above all your acceptance of His Son through salvation. The power of the Lord has won the victory over Satan and spiritual death and He has done mighty things. “I will not die, but live and I will tell what the Lord has done” (Ps. 118:17)! Paul writes that if anyone does not love the Lord, a curse be on him (1 Cor. 16:22) so I will proclaim that I love the Lord, rise at midnight to praise Him (Ps. 119:62), set my thoughts on things above (Col. 3:1), be not ashamed of the gospel (Rom. 1:16), not understanding some things I do but knowing God will rescue me through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 7:15, 25).

MARANATHA!