Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “The Lord’s Presence”
Our Bible verse for today: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8
Our thought for today: “We have a responsibility to stay close to God.”
You’ve probably seen the bumper sticker which reads “If God seems far away, guess who moved?” It’s a cliché but there’s also a lot of truth to it. The implication is that if God seems far away then it’s probably your own fault. The testimony of Scripture is that God wants to be close to us and He wants us to be aware of His presence. For the most part, if we’re not experiencing the presence of the Lord it’s either because we’re living in sin, or because we’re not doing the things necessary to cultivate an awareness of the Lord’s presence with us.
Admittedly there are times in every Christian life when God allows us to go through periods when He seems far away. Saint John of the Cross was a sixteenth century Christian mystic who wrote the classic work “The Dark Night of the Soul”. John was a Carmelite monk living in a monastery in Spain. His entire life was devoted to practicing the presence of God. He spent many hours every day in prayer, Bible reading, and worship. But still he went through periods when God seemed very distant. He called these times his “dark night of the soul” and he concluded that God allowed such times into our lives in order to create within us a deeper longing for His presence. It’s the old notion that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
So yes, sometimes God does withdraw our awareness of His presence for a short period just to remind us of what life is like without Him. But those times are the exception and usually they are rare.
Much more often, if God seems distant it’s because we have allowed unrepentant sin into our lives or we are not engaging in regular spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible study, worship, and fellowship. We have a responsibility to place ourselves in a position before God whereby He can cultivate within us a deep awareness of His presence. That’s what James meant when he wrote, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Do you have some goals for your spiritual growth in 2015? When it comes to incorporating spiritual disciplines into our lives we have to be thoughtful and intentional. Also, from time to time we need to shake things up just to stay fresh.
Beginning next Sunday evening, January 4th, at 6:00 at Oak Hill Baptist we will begin a group study of “The Daniel Plan”. It is a plan designed to help us achieve a healthy balance in five key areas of life, including how we practice our faith. If you study with us you will get some fresh ideas regarding how to cultivate an awareness of God’s presence. I encourage you to join us.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 