Let Us Draw Near to God

 

Heb. 10:22

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

It is not possible to draw near to God when sin is in the heart. There is a gap that separates us from having fellowship with God. As sinners, we live in darkness and God is light. There is no fellowship for those who live in darkness with the light. To have fellowship is to have communion, and a person who dwells in darkness is living a life of sin, and sin is enmity against God. It is not subject to God and is not able to draw near to Him. But Jesus bridged the gap, taking our sins and nailing them to the cross with His blood provided a way for us to draw near. Before we can draw near to God, we must confess our sins. If we humble ourselves before God, He is faithful to take our sins and cast them in the sea of forgiveness, not to be remembered against us anymore. God will hear the prayers of a sinner that repents of their sins and has a heart that is broken, and is sorry for their sinful ways. It is only with a clean heart and pure motives that we can begin to draw near to God. It is God’s will that we live in the light. As we walk in His light, we start to draw near to His desires for our lives. Let us put aside the sin that easily besets us and pray with a pure heart to live in the light of God’s presence.

Fellowship in Christ

 1 John 1:3
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Fellowship with Him, fellowship with the Father, and fellowship with one another. Fellowship, the bond of perfection, communion with God, a child of the King, adopted into the family of God. Fellowship, a cord that binds us together in our faith and love for Christ. The mutual belief that Christ died for our sins, and through confession of sin, we enter into fellowship with Him. When we come into contact with a fellow believer, there is an instant connection. We may be divided by land or sea, social class, or culture, but our kindred spirits connect in Christ, we have instant fellowship with one another.  We gather together on Sunday to worship the Father and give thanks to our Redeemer, but we also gather to break bread and have fellowship with each other. A time to build each other in the most holy faith. Time to share life and our walk with Christ, how God is answering prayers,  and share the burdens we carry. Our hearts become heavy when we hear about someone who no longer is in fellowship with Christ. They are no longer walking in the light, and are now walking in darkness. We must be aware that believers may not always agree, but when one denies the power of Christ, and continues in sin and darkness, they have dis-associated themselves from the body of Christ. As fellow believers, we must pray that God will restore that person, and return back  into the fellowship of Christ. Let us gather together to worship our Savior, and have fellowship one with another because we have seen and heard what Christ has done for us.

He Knocks at your Door

 Rev. 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
The iconic visual of Jesus knocking on the door has been illustrated by hundreds of artists through the centuries.  A simple Google search will show that in almost every picture there is no door handle on the door. The knock is soft and gentle. I can imagine Jesus speaks as He knocks, “Hello, anyone home? Can you hear my voice? Can I come in? I would love to sit down with you, have fellowship with you and dine.” We live in a culture that once feared and regarded God’s word, but now, Jesus is put on the shelf and treated as a relic of the past. Self sufficiency and self reliance is the mantra of humanistic thinking. “You don’t need God's help, you can do it!” Positive thinking is a good mind set, but outside of God it is vain. Jesus knocks, and desires to be the center of your life,  the hope that keeps you going and believing that all things will work together for good.  He is knocking at the heart of your door, wanting to have communion with you. Only you can let Him in, He will not enter uninvited. Don’t allow the worldly things of this world to crowd out the voice of Jesus. Listen, and open the door, and break bread with the one who loves you.