Continuing on with James 4:7-10
1st part of verse eight:
1st part of verse eight:
Approach and squeeze God and he will approach and squeeze you.
Isn’t that a great picture?
- Your deep desire to know the Father calls to His deep desire to be known.
- We are not just to approach God, but to accost and squeeze him, be intimate with him
- Who do you greet like that? Someone who you only casually know? It would not only be awkward, but inappropriate.
- Standing on the outside looking in at God will not feed your spirit. It would be like standing outside of a great feast, looking through the window. You could smell the food, you could see and describe the food, but you could literally starve to death within feet of life.
Consider the relationship that exists (or should exist) inside of marriage. The Lord considers us His bride, so looking at a spiritual relationship through the eyes of an earthly one is not so strange.
In a marriage, there needs to be:
- faithfulness: to vows made
- commitment: to make it to the end, standing in agreement and working through the hard times
- honesty: in word and deed
- trust: built like a bridge that can carry the weight
- love: genuine and passionate
These are just a few of the necessary elements for a healthy, strong marriage. The same with our relationship to God.
Isn’t that a great picture?
- Your deep desire to know the Father calls to His deep desire to be known.
- We are not just to approach God, but to accost and squeeze him, be intimate with him
- Who do you greet like that? Someone who you only casually know? It would not only be awkward, but inappropriate.
- Standing on the outside looking in at God will not feed your spirit. It would be like standing outside of a great feast, looking through the window. You could smell the food, you could see and describe the food, but you could literally starve to death within feet of life.
Consider the relationship that exists (or should exist) inside of marriage. The Lord considers us His bride, so looking at a spiritual relationship through the eyes of an earthly one is not so strange.
In a marriage, there needs to be:
- faithfulness: to vows made
- commitment: to make it to the end, standing in agreement and working through the hard times
- honesty: in word and deed
- trust: built like a bridge that can carry the weight
- love: genuine and passionate
These are just a few of the necessary elements for a healthy, strong marriage. The same with our relationship to God.
In our relationship with God, there needs to be:
- faithfulness: to the vows we made when we received Christ as not only our Savior, but as our Lord
- commitment: to stand firm, to finish the race in the Spirit of the Lord, to work through hard times and issues
- honesty: to allow God into our innermost being, to open up our lives, to speak what’s in our hearts, knowing that He understands and loves us
- trust: to trust God with our hearts because He is ever trustworthy. Christ has laid down his life as a bridge to the Father. We need to trust this work and walk across, unafraid and secure.
- love: genuine love for God – not a display or a worked-up emotion, but genuine love because He first loved us when we weren’t so loveable. And passionate – to love with everything you have, everything you are, and everything you will be.
If you have never entered into relationship with Christ, He is calling. He desires to be your supplier, your protector, your King and your lover. Turn away from your sin, your own agenda and accept the sacrifice that makes it possible for you to not only experience eternity with God, but makes it possible for you to become a new creation – regenerated, refreshed, and revived.
If you have a relationship already, recommit yourself today. Jeremiah 2: 1-2 says: “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me, and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown.” Renew your vows with the lover of your soul, and rejoice once again in your redemption.
Savior of my life, I accost You - squeeze You with all my might. I embrace Your throne of grace and rest in the security of Your love.
Check out: Psalm 18 (I know it’s long, but it’s worth it. Read it out loud – with conviction and confidence)
- faithfulness: to the vows we made when we received Christ as not only our Savior, but as our Lord
- commitment: to stand firm, to finish the race in the Spirit of the Lord, to work through hard times and issues
- honesty: to allow God into our innermost being, to open up our lives, to speak what’s in our hearts, knowing that He understands and loves us
- trust: to trust God with our hearts because He is ever trustworthy. Christ has laid down his life as a bridge to the Father. We need to trust this work and walk across, unafraid and secure.
- love: genuine love for God – not a display or a worked-up emotion, but genuine love because He first loved us when we weren’t so loveable. And passionate – to love with everything you have, everything you are, and everything you will be.
If you have never entered into relationship with Christ, He is calling. He desires to be your supplier, your protector, your King and your lover. Turn away from your sin, your own agenda and accept the sacrifice that makes it possible for you to not only experience eternity with God, but makes it possible for you to become a new creation – regenerated, refreshed, and revived.
If you have a relationship already, recommit yourself today. Jeremiah 2: 1-2 says: “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me, and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown.” Renew your vows with the lover of your soul, and rejoice once again in your redemption.
Savior of my life, I accost You - squeeze You with all my might. I embrace Your throne of grace and rest in the security of Your love.
Check out: Psalm 18 (I know it’s long, but it’s worth it. Read it out loud – with conviction and confidence)
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