Come near to God and he will come near to you. . . . Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he
will lift you up.
James 4:8a; 10
How
do you have a relationship with someone? If you are married, how did your relationship with your spouse develop?
In
my case, it was first meeting my husband at our 8th grade
graduation. It was not an auspicious
beginning. I sat in the row in front of him, and he straightened a hair pin and
used it to thump me on the behind all during graduation practice.
A
couple of years later we became friends in high school and enjoyed talking to
one another. Wherever we happened to
meet, we would stop and chat and talk about things that were of interest to
both of us, chiefly sports back then.
A
year or so later we had a couple of dates and had no trouble finding things to
talk about. We learned more about one another. The next year we really became
interested in one another, and sought each other out at every opportunity. We could not spend enough time together.
The
following year we went off to college together and spent every single waking
hour we could together. We fell in love. It grew naturally over the years as we spent more and more time
together. Does this sound familiar? Relationships=time spent in the company of. It really is simple.
How
do we improve our relationship with the Lord? The exact same way. We spend time
with him: in prayer, in Bible study, in worship with other believers, and in
serving others in His name.
How
does He speak to us? He speaks through the Holy Scriptures, through our
circumstances, through doors of opportunities opening and shutting, through
other people, through His creation and through that still, small inner voice. Be
aware that he is speaking in all ways at all times and be receptive to His
call. Seek Him, and He will draw near to
you. A relationship with God=time spent with Him.
Father, help me seek to spend more and more time with you! Amen.
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