September 19, 2022 — Were You once Closer to God?

“Do you remember,” Stan asked me one morning, “how I have talked about the importance of James 4:8 to my faith walk?”

“Is that the one about if people draw near to God, He will draw near to them?”

“That’s it,” Stan replied. “It was a big truth in how I began my faith walk by drawing near to God. He responded by drawing near to me. And on and on it has gone in an ever-deepening relationship with Him.”

“I understand that,” I replied, “but why do you mention it this morning?”

“I was talking to a neighbor last night,” Stan said, “and he showed me how that verse applies to more than just coming to faith.”

“More than just coming to faith?” I replied. “How so?”

“His testimony,” Stan said, “is that there was a point in his life after he had come to faith that he started wandering away and his relationship with God just wasn’t as important to him as it had been.”

“Did he say why or how that happened?”

“Apparently there wasn’t one specific thing,” Stan replied. “It was just a gradual process where the importance of his relationship with God got overshadowed by the things of the world.”

“I suppose that’s a pretty common thing,” I commented.

“That’s a safe supposition!” Stan replied with a smile. “Way too common for people to forget about God and what He once meant to them.”

“If people forget about God,” I replied, “do you think God forgets about them?”

“Absolutely not!” Stan said. “And that’s what my neighbor was talking about how James 4:8 led him to renew his relationship with God.”

“How’d that renewal happen?”

“As my neighbor tells it,” Stan replied, “it was clearly God moving in his life through the Holy Spirit. He said that one morning while he was reading some news on his phone, an advertisement popped up that simply said, ‘Did you forget about God?’ He immediately was led to switch from the news app on his phone to a Bible app that he had not looked at for a long time.”

“Then what?” I asked.

“Believe it or not,” Stan said, “the verse the Bible app opened to was James 4:8, and my neighbor said that as he read that verse, he was led to ask God to help him remember all that He had meant to him in the past.”

“And did God help him do that?” I asked.

“Sure did,” Stan replied. “And I think God will do that with every person who has forgotten what God meant to them at one time. They may have forgotten God, but they can be assured that He has not forgotten them!”

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Bible verses to consider:

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

Thus says the Lord, “I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth.” Jeremiah 2:2.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for responding to me when I first chose to draw near to you. Thank you, too, for responding to me every time I choose to draw closer to you so that we have an ever-deepening relationship. I confess that there are too many times when I forget about you and what you mean to me. Please forgive that foolishness, and please open me to want to remember all you are to me in every aspect of my life. Please help me to seek, find, claim, and embrace all you have and want for me for as long as you keep me on this side of eternity.  Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Think on this: Have you accepted God’s free and gracious provision of life with Him eternally when it is time? If no, why? If you are a Christian with the assurance of salvation and redemption, are you as close (or closer) to God as you were when you began your faith walk? If you sense the need to draw closer in a renewed relationship with God, how is that going to happen? Is that what you want? Why or why not?