Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…
“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”
James 4: 8 (NLT)“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”
Psalm 51: 10-12 (ESV)“And [John-the Baptist) went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight…all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Luke 3:2-3 (ESV)“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1: 26a-27 (ESV)
This may be our time to draw near.
This season of Lent.
A season often embraced by many who claim to be followers of Christ.
The Lenten season of forty days, not counting Sundays, beginning with Ash Wednesday, which many recognized last week, and ending on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.
Lent is often viewed as a time to give up something, or to change some aspect of your life, for the better.
But Lent is not really about giving up something, if that is all we do it for.
However, if the larger purpose is to turn to and draw nearer to God, to come closer to Him and all He wants for our lives, then we may be on track.
A larger purpose of giving up something which interferes with our relationship with Him, and prevents us from being able to reflect Him in the world around us.
And then staying on that track throughout the year, focusing on being more of who He created us to be, and not trying to be someone we are not.
Well, then, we may truly be on a life-changing track to live the life God intended for us, and created us to live.
Remembering also that it is not about beating ourselves up about the past, but confessing the past to Him and receiving His mercy and grace, while looking ahead to see all He saw when He created us, and all we can be with Him for the rest of our life.
It’s about changing the way we live for Eternity and, as John the Baptist proclaimed—preparing the way for the Lord to re-enter and re-direct our lives, make our paths straight, and changing and moving our life, and everything we do, so all we are and do is more and more like Christ.
All when we turn to Him, draw close to, and stay close to Him.
In the song, “Draw Me Close to You,” written by Kelly Carpenter, he shared it this way with some words like these—
Draw me close to you, never let me go.
I lay it all down again, to hear you say that I’m your friend.
You are my desire, no one else will do.
‘Cause nothing else can take your place,
To feel the warmth of your embrace.
Help me find the way.
Bring me back to you.
You’re all I want.
You’re all I’ve ever needed.
You’re all I want.
Help me know you are near…
Draw nearer to Him.
Nearer to you.
Who He truly created you to be.
In His Name–Scott
Draw nearer to Him, my friends, as you watch and listen to Michael W. Smith sing “Draw Me Close to You,” and be inspired then to continue to walk with Him, always.
