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James 4:8 - Drawing Near To God.

James 4:8 - Drawing Near To God.

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

INTRODUCTORY THOUGHTS

1. IMPORTANCE OF HUMILITY [V. 6]

James 4:1-10: James writes harsh words, but they have a noble 
purpose: to cultivate humility in the hearts and minds of his readers. 
Why is that important? Because humility positions us to receive the 
best God has to offer us. He comes near to those who are humble and 
lifts them up at the proper time. God opposes the proud - and 
apparently withholds favor from them - but he generously gives grace to the 
humble. The implication of these verses is that our attitudes toward 
ourselves go a long way toward determining the degree and consistency with 
which we experience God and his goodness. When we see ourselves 
humbly, God can bless us lavishly without ruining us in the process. 
[NIV Once A Day Bible] 

2. IMPORTANCE OF SURRENDER [V. 7]

A preacher I once heard referred to the Ephraimites in Psalm 
78:11 as "the original quitters." What an indictment. The Ephraimites 
live on, you know; they are to be found in the rank and file of many 
a modern-day congregation. They look fine in church with a hymn 
book and a Bible in their hands, but let the hot rays of temptation 
beat upon them--and they run. They surrender to temptation because 
they have never learned how to surrender to God. When We Surrender To 
God, Then We Need Not Surrender To Anything Else. [Every Day With 
Jesus Bible with Selwyn Hughes devotional re Psalm 78:11] 

3. IMPORTANCE OF DRAWING NEAR [V. 8]

   Living in close companionship with God ... Really, when it 
comes down to it, there are only two positions in life--close to God or 
far away from Him ... problems often come because I had chosen not to 
remain close to Him. For me there is now only one thing that 
matters--staying close to God."  
   How are things with you at this moment? Do you feel close to 
God? If you don't, then let me put what I want to say in the words of 
a wayside pulpit that arrested my attention some years ago: "If 
you feel that God is far away, guess who moved?" [Every Day With 
Jesus Bible with Selwyn Hughes devotional mod] 

COMMENTARY

Come close to God ... James 4:8
   Have you ever looked at a blade of grass, a spider's web, or 
a waterfall as an expression of God's creativity? Have you seen 
nature's seasons and trends not for what they are in themselves but for 
what they reveal of the heart that made them? Have you ever just 
stopped and noticed the divine dream unfolding around you? All of these 
- observing creation, listening for whispers of God's voice or 
trying to put your finger on His pulse, absorbing the marvels of His 
world - are means to become more aware of His Presence. When we notice 
these things, and especially when they spark a conversation with Him, 
we are drawing close to God.  
   There are two major aspects in experiencing God's Presence: 
increasing our awareness of Him, and His approach to us. The first is our 
responsibility, the second His. Both are expressed in James 4:8, where we are 
told to draw close to God and are assured that He will draw close to 
us. But it's harder than it seems.  
   We let busyness distract us from experiencing God. Our daily 
routines and to-do lists are His rivals for our attention, and we often 
let them win. He can work in ways that drive us to seek Him, but He 
would rather that we come to Him because we want to than because He 
told us to or gave us few other options. Drawing close is meant to be 
an act of love. And love, if it's real, is always voluntary.  
   Your side of the "Presence equation" is to draw near to God. 
In every way you can imagine, do that. Then see how He responds to 
you.  
   Father, I want to notice You - everything about You. I want 
to stop and notice any evidence of Your work, Your voice, and Your 
Presence that I can find. As I observe You, please make Yourself even 
more observable. And draw me close. [The One Year Experiencing God's 
Presence Devotional by Chris Tiegreen] 

... and God will come close to you. James 4:8
   It's a familiar refrain: "If God seems far away, who moved?" 
The implication is that He's always there, and we're the ones who 
created the distance. And while that's true in terms of His omnipresence 
- He's everywhere all the time - it isn't necessarily true with 
regard to His available or manifest Presence. In experience, He is 
closer to us at some times than He is at others. And it isn't always 
because we drifted in the opposite direction.  
   We can make ourselves more aware of the ways God is moving 
and working all around us, but we can also attract Him to move 
toward us. As potential marriage partners instinctively know the rules 
of attraction, we can know what appeals to Him and invite Him into 
deeper intimacy. We don't earn His favor or His Presence - that's not 
even an option - but relational closeness isn't a matter of "earning" 
anyway. It's a matter of desire, commitment, and level of interaction. 
When we know the attitudes that warm God's heart, we can clothe 
ourselves in them. And when we draw close to Him, He draws close to us.  
   Notice what appeals to God: faith, humility, hunger for Him, 
honesty and authenticity, obedience from the heart, and many more 
attitudes you can find in Scripture. Granted, fallen human beings can't 
manufacture spiritual characteristics without His help. But we are clearly 
told to put on the right attitudes, so we bear a certain 
responsibility and initiative to do so. Seek Him in such ways, and you will 
find Him seeking you out too.  
   Lord, I know we can't come to You unless You draw us. But You 
also don't come to us unless we draw near to You. However that mutual 
attraction works, I want more of it. Please come close. [The One Year 
Experiencing God's Presence Devotional by Chris Tiegreen] 

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. James 4:8
   One day early in her mission service in India, as Amy 
Carmichael sat under a tree studying her Tamil grammar, she had a growing 
sense of a listener, a presence she could not ignore. She recognized 
the Lord and listened with Him - to the gaping needs of the country, 
the blood crying out from the ground, the calling of a people to 
Himself. Time stood still. The presence was all that mattered.  
   Of her later work with orphans, young girls serving as temple 
prostitutes, and boys roaming the streets, Carmichael wrote that she 
sometimes saw Jesus kneeling alone in prayer for them, and she would go 
and kneel with Him. She sensed an unspoken communion with Him in His 
love and compassion for the unlovely, broken, wounded people of the 
world. No words needed to be exchanged in this spiritual conversation; 
it was a blending of hearts to accomplish divine purposes. She drew 
close to God, and He drew close to her.  
   The voice of God is often far deeper than words, and 
sometimes even deeper than pictures or images. He has ways of making His 
heartbeat known to those whose hearts are inclined toward His. The 
sensitive spirit will not insist on breaking the conversation down into 
words. Words might interrupt the conversation altogether. 
Heart-to-heart knowledge goes deeper and must not be cheapened by trying to 
define it. In God's presence, the best response is simply to embrace 
the profound work He is doing, to yield our hearts to His impulses, 
and to accept that His love is indescribable and beyond 
understanding. In that yielding, He expresses the inexpressible and imparts the 
infinite flow of His own feelings. And the hearer knows He has spoken, 
even though He has not spoken a word.  
   Lord, may I know You to that extent in the depths of my 
being. Work Your heart into the depths of mine, even when no words can 
describe what You have placed there. Share Your deepest impulses with me. 
[The One Year Hearing His Voice Devotional by Chris Tiegreen] 

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Spending time alone with Me is essential for your well-being. It 
is not a luxury or an option; it is a necessity. Therefore, do not 
feel guilty about taking time to be with Me. Remember that Satan is 
the accuser of believers. He delights in heaping guilt feelings upon 
you, especially when you are enjoying My Presence. When you feel 
Satan's arrows of accusation, you are probably on the right track. Use 
your shield of faith to protect yourself from him. Talk with Me about 
what you are experiencing, and ask Me to show you the way forward. 
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to Me, and I 
will come near to you. (Rev. 12:10; Eph. 6:16; Jam. 4:7, 8) [Jesus 
Calling by Sarah Young] 

   Demonstrate your trust in Me by sitting quietly in My 
Presence. Put aside all that is waiting to be done, and refuse to worry 
about anything. This sacred time together strengthens you and prepares 
you to face whatever the day will bring. By waiting with Me before 
you begin the day's activities, you proclaim the reality of My 
living Presence. This act of faith - waiting before working - is noted 
in the spirit world, where your demonstration of trust weakens 
principalities and powers of darkness.  
   The most effective way to resist evil is to draw near Me. 
When you need to take action, I will guide you clearly through My 
Spirit and My Word. The world is so complex and overstimulating that 
you can easily lose your sense of direction. Doing countless 
unnecessary activities will dissipate your energy. When you spend time with 
Me, I restore your sense of direction. As you look to Me for 
guidance, I enable you to do less but accomplish more. (Luke 12:22-26; 
Ephesians 6:12 NKJV; Proverbs 16:3) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young] 

   Thank Me frequently as you journey through today. This 
practice makes it possible to pray without ceasing, as the apostle Paul 
taught. If you are serious about learning to pray continually, the best 
approach is to thank Me in every situation. These thankful prayers 
provide a solid foundation on which you can build all your other 
prayers. Moreover, a grateful attitude makes it easier for you to 
communicate with Me.  
   When your mind is occupied with thanking Me, you have no time 
for worrying or complaining. If you practice thankfulness 
consistently, negative thought patterns will gradually grow weaker and weaker. 
Draw near to Me with a grateful heart, and My Presence will fill you 
with Joy and Peace. (1Th. 5:16-18; Jam. 4:8; Rom. 15:13) [Jesus 
Calling by Sarah Young] 

Use your trials and troubles to draw closer to Me. Whenever you 
start to feel distressed, turn that around by talking with Me. Let 
pain and problems remind you of your constant need for Me. Create a 
collection of brief prayers, such as: "Help me, Jesus. Fill me with your 
Peace, Show me Your way." These requests are spiritual nutrients - soul 
vitamins. The more you use them, the healthier and happier you will be. 
(Psa. 27:11; Jam. 1:2; 4:7, 8; Psa. 143:8) [Jesus Today by Sarah 
Young] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

Dear Child,
   I watch you laboring and fretting and anxiously striving to 
achieve things for me and my kingdom.  Hear me.  Your work is not my 
primary concern.  Your work is now, has always been, and always will be 
secondary to your relationship with me. 
   What you do will flow out of your relationship with me as 
irrigation streams flow out of a deep, clear, powerful river.  The river 
(the relationship) will set your motives and supply your strength.  
Then your work will flow forth to honor me.  Any time you allow your 
work to come ahead of your relationship with me, you risk working 
against me and my purposes. 
   Draw near to me and rest.  Seek my will at every small turn.  
Listen for my voice.  Be filled with my Spirit.  Then work with joy and 
abandon! The Source of your power, God [PostCards from Heaven by Claire 
Cloninger] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2011/20111120-1627.html

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2007/20070702-1008.html

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

Importance of Choice: 
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video] 

Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782

Musical Devotional On Christian Living: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDY:

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx 

Discover Bible Studies: http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/

LINKS FOR PROPHECY SEMINARS

Revelation Today Series by Pastor John Bradshaw: 
https://revelationtoday.com/other-streams/ 

Prophecies Decoded Sermon Series by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657