Draw Near to God

"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. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:7-10, NIV).

A saying frequently heard is "Satan made me do it." That is a ready excuse for un-Christian behavior. Satan flees stiff resistance. Actually, if the Christian is on guard to Satan's wiles, he can resist the devil. It is the Christian's choice to submit to God and resist the devil. It is the Christian's choice to come near to God. God is always waiting to forgive, cleanse, strengthen and make strong But the move to draw near to God must begin with the Christian. So far as our sins are concerned, we are to grieve over them, mourn over them. James is very plain about our double-mindedness, in which we give God some allegiance but try to hold onto the things Satan entices us to do. Acceptance of God's way means coming near to Him in repentance and with deep grief for sins. "Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hears, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom." The washing referred to is not ceremonial, as the Jews practiced, and which Jesus referred to as making the outside of the cup clean while the inside remained full of greed and self indulgence (Matthew 23:25). It is an ethical cleansing in which the sinner is genuinely sorry for sin, and recognizing his sinful state grieves and mourns over his condition. It is this humbling of oneself before God that enables forgiveness and God's lifting the repentant sinner up.

In today's language and with much passion, Eugene Peterson translates these verses in The Message Bible: "So let God work His will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you will get on your feet."

It is our daily choice to submit to God and resist the devil. The spiritual battle is constant and ongoing, for the enticements of Satan are always present and the effort to defeat his influence is necessary to a victorious, radiant Christian life. Move toward God. He is ready to receive and embrace you, lift you up and empower you for His work. Thanks be to God we can know His presence and power in our life.

c Ethelene Dyers Jones; Friday, October 22, 2010