Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Friends and Associates”
Our Bible verse for today: “This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Return to Me – this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts – and I will return to you.” Zechariah 1:3 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “God wants you to be close to Him.”
I’m sure you’ve probably heard the question, “If God seems far away, guess who moved?” It’s a challenging question that communicates the great truth that God wants us to be close to Him and if it seems to us as if we’re not, it’s our own fault. Always it is us who have walked away from Him, not Him from us.
As a Pastor I tend to have lots of conversations with people who are struggling with life issues and who are far away from God. The issues they’re struggling with often include things like broken relationships, unemployment, addictions, and even criminal activity. Many of those conversations take place in a jailhouse visitation area.
During the course of the conversation I will always talk to them about their relationship with the Lord. More often than not they profess to be a Christian – usually as a result of a childhood conversion. But then they also admit that they’re not active in church, seldom read a Bible, and don’t pray very often either. And usually at some point the person will say something along the lines of, “If God really loved me and cared about me then why isn’t He blessing my life? Why is He allowing all these bad things to happen to me?”
The answer to that question is that in the Bible God has given us boundaries within which He expects us to live. The boundaries are actually very wide but they are boundaries and we do have to stay within them. As long as we do live within the boundaries of Biblical conduct, we are living in the realm in which God can and will bless us. But if we choose to wander outside of Biblical boundaries, and stay there, we are in effect choosing to live without God’s blessings. God cannot and will not bless unbiblical conduct.
In Zechariah 1:3 God was speaking to the nation of Israel through the prophet. They too had wandered far from Him and were experiencing all the unpleasant consequences of their poor choices. But even then, God had not given-up on them. Even then, He still extended His hand and issued an invitation, “Return to Me and I will return to you.”
That promise is for you too. If God seems far away it’s not because He has walked away from you, it’s because you have walked away from Him. Return to Him and He will return to you.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 