PERSISTENT PURSUIT
To draw near to God is to diligently seek Him. How do we draw near to the Lord? Well, praise God, King Jesus has already taken care of the first step by doing what we couldn’t – Ephesians 2:13 says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Once we personally accept the sacrifice of Jesus, the laying down of His sinless life on our behalf, we are reconciled with the Father and are able to be in His presence without fear or the blemish of sin. Having made that decision, the Apostle Peter tells us that not only do we have God with us (Matthew 1:23), but we now have His Holy Spirit–God in us.
Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
There is an intentional way that we draw near to the Lord through worship, His word, thankfulness, prayer, etc. But there is also the fact that His very Spirit LIVES in us and takes up residence! It’s relationship! Just like we have to maintain and be intentional about the relationships we have with our family and friends, even more so should we be stewarding our relationship with our heavenly Father.
When we seek after Him, the word of God tells us what we can expect:
1. The Lord will draw near to us – James 4:8
2. The Lord will listen to us and we will find Him when we seek Him
– Jeremiah 29:12-13
3. He rewards us for diligently seeking Him – Hebrews 11:6
4. We will be added to – Matthew 6:33
5. We will be saved and He intercedes on our behalf – Hebrews 7:25
6. We receive mercy and grace in times of need – Hebrews 4:16
7. He will hear, forgive, and heal on our behalf – 2 Chronicles 7:14
The Scriptures hold so many examples of how the Lord responds to us when we set our hearts and minds to draw near to Him. Determine in your heart today that you will seek Him, knowing that you will find Him!
Acts 17:27 – God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us.
From my sermon notes: Presents for His Presence
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