THE LORD INVITES US TO COME CLOSE TO HIM

"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." [James 4:8 (KJV & NLV)]

Isn't it wonderful to think that God has invited us to come into His presence? He has given us to His Son Jesus and we have been adopted as children. St. James is reminding us that the Lord responds to us, coming close to us in response to the way we accept His invitation and go toward Him.

One of my favorite images of what it is like to approach a father comes from photos of Carolin and John John Kennedy playing under their father's desk in the White House oval office. Many other people in the world might be a bit awed to come into the presence of the U.S. President, a man with great power and great responsibilities. 

But as JFK's children, Caroline and John John just took it for granted that they could come and do almost whatever they wanted to do. I like to think that God looks at us, too, with the same kind of indulgent loving smile that is on JFK's face as he watches his adorable children.

I am also reminded of the way that God comes to speak to Miriam, Aaron and Moses in a pillar of smoke, described in Numbers 12:8a. Miriam and Aaron are Moses' siblings and while wandering in the wilderness, they get jealous of the closeness between the Lord and Moses. The Lord rebukes them by explaining something about the way He interacts with human beings.

He tells them that His custom is to reveal Himself to prophets in visions and dreams, but that He speaks to Moses face to face. The Lord trusts Moses not just to carry out what He requires, but states, "I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles!"

From the time of Jesus' incarnation, though, God has given all people the potential to be able to communicate with God face to face by the power of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ,

Beloved, if you don't believe this, you haven't given the Lord a chance to show you. My prayer for you, as ever, is that you will open your heart to Him and give Him a chance to show you how much He loves you and wants to bless you.

However, Beloved, if you know this already, you may still have even more experiences to look forward to as you get to know the Lord in deeper ways. My prayer for you is that you will entertain the possibility that there is always a deeper level of God's love and joy to discover.

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and yours, now and always.