Daily Prayer

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.

 

James 4:7-8 reads: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you."

 

• Submit to God.
• Resist the Devil.
• Come near to God.

 

Oh how often I get the first two backwards.  I submit to the Devil and resist God. Then coming near to God does not even become an option.  It's like what Paul writes in Romans 7:18b-19: "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing".  Can you relate?

 

Other times I try to resist the Devil without first submitting to God.  Once again, coming near does not happen.

 

So the key is to do these things in order – submit to God, then resist the Devil, then you will be able to come near to God.

 

There is an old yarn about an elderly couple driving in their car, she on the passenger side and he is driving.  She notices couples in other cars they meet where the woman is sitting right up beside her man (back in the days of bench seats and no seatbelt laws!).  She muses aloud,  wondering why they don't sit that way anymore.  He glances her way as he drives and says "Well, I didn't move."  And so it is with God.  If we are separated from Him – He isn't the one who moved.  Where are you sitting?

 

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce 

 

Heavenly Father, I want to come closer to You.

 

I want to know You more intimately and grow spiritually.

 

I choose to put You first in my life by spending time alone with You daily.

 

Thank You for coming close to me and giving me the power to do Your will.

 

Thank You for leading me step by step, one day at a time.

 

Help me to remain in daily communion with you and live the life of love that You have called me to live.

 

Thank You for growing me up into Your Image! 

(http://www.scripturalnuggets.org/Folder5/COME%20NEAR%20TO%20GOD.htm)

 

 

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address. Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.