Nearness to God
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
The most meaningful part of life revolves around personal relationships. Every Christian reaches a new plateau in their Christianity when they discover the reality that their forgiveness of sins before God leads to a personal relationship with God. New spiritual life (regeneration), being declared not guilty before God (justification), and being welcomed into the Kingdom of God as a son or daughter (adoption by God) all point to the real open door of a personal relationship with God. The essential key to entering a deeper personal relationship with God, after initial repentance and faith, relates to daily devotions.
There is no substitute for daily devotions. Those who are dearest to us, those we care about the most, we try to have meaningful conversations with them as often as possible. We long to speak with them and hear also about their lives and struggles. We rearrange and reprioritize our lives to create intentional times of meaningful conversation, memories through shared joyful experiences, and encouragement through times of difficulty. Daily devotions are a prioritizing of the Christian’s personal relationship with God above all other relationships. Rearranging and prioritizing the hours of each day to create meaningful time alone with God is essential to building nearness to God over time. Let’s consider the fundamentals.
The essential elements of a personal relationship are meaningful speech and active listening. Meaningful speech has to do with saying something to another person that has substance and touches on who you really are. This type of communication goes beyond surface level niceties and plastic smiles. Active listening relates to truly wanting to understand what the other person is saying so that you can truly know them. God has spoken to us! God has been revealing Himself and His will to humanity since the dawn of time. We live in a privileged period, late in the history of the world, that the words and actions of God have been recorded and preserved in the Bible. The Word of God is not a static writing, but a living word by which the Holy Spirit of God speaks to our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). The first essential part of daily devotions is actively reading some portion of the Bible desiring to hear from God. This Bible reading must be prayerful. It’s not one-way communication. As we encounter God in the Bible, we are taught, convicted, encouraged, and reminded. We must respond to God in prayer. We take time to open our heart genuinely to God in worship, thanks, and pouring out our needs and struggles.
This daily interaction will become deeper and more meaningful over time. This is the case with every healthy habit in our lives. When we make time for daily meaningful conversations with our spouse, it may begin as something we know we should do, but soon becomes something we want to do. Daily exercise starts as things we know we should do, but when we enter the benefits of healthy living, it becomes something we want to do. It’s ok to begin daily devotions with the notion that it’s something you should do, but with an earnest heart it will soon become something you want to do. It will later become a discipline you cannot live without, “Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3 / Matthew 4:4 / Luke 4:4).
If you have never had a consistent devotional life, or have fallen off in this area over a period of busyness and distraction, do not lose heart. As distracted and sinful people we all ebb and flow in personal discipline. Over the years the priorities of our life sift out to truly understand what is essential. Prioritization, combined with the spiritual growth of self-control, will allow you to eventually order your life in a healthy and life-giving way. Your devotional spiritual life must come first. You must move beyond knowing things about God to knowing God personally – and this will only come through enduring and meaningful personal devotions. You must grow comfortable being alone before God, with an open heart. All people are able to come before God in this way.
The long endurance of personal devotion over years and decades is the foundation of every earnest Christian’s life. This endurance leads us to read God’s word at length and pray for countless hours over time. When we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). The longer you endure in seeking God, the more treasured these times will become. You will long for God’s voice before all others. You will find yourself in the pattern of all devout Christians through the ages – wanting God to have the first word and the last word of each day – morning and evening, nearer my Lord to thee! The word of the Lord flowing over your soul each day will become like the flow of water over rocks in a mighty river. Over the years, all the rough edges of your soul will be worn smooth until what is left is the patience, kindness, gentleness, and the joy of the Lord.
Nearness to God will affect all your other personal relationships for good. As you abide with Christ, your personal nearness to God will overflow to bless your spouse, children, personal friends, and co-workers. Daily devotions will refine your character and strengthen your obedience to God. You will go on to more directed study about God – some to much greater focused study – but no Christian will ever outgrow daily devotional interaction with God. In this busy and distracted world, may we turn away from the sins, which so easily entangle, and turn our hearts toward the Lord.
Let us strive together to know the Lord personally,
Pastor Vic