The bible promises: “ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (Jas
4:8). Here are three practical ways to draw closer to the Lord in your life:
1) I desire to know more about the Lord.
The more I dig into God’s Word, the more I learn of His greatness. I discover His character, His faithfulness, compassion, patience, limitless love, and absolute integrity. When we first meet someone, we know them in a superficial way. But the more time we spend together, the more we learn their thoughts, their emotions, their heart. The same is true with God. No matter how many years we have served Him, there will always be more to learn. The key is in I Chronicles 16:11: “Seek his presence continually” (ESV)
When we desire more of God, the emphasis changes to how we can deepen our relationship with Him.
2) I desire to be more like Jesus.
Once I learn God’s character, I must seek to reproduce those same qualities in my life. I cannot truthfully call myself a Christian if I am not Christlike. Do I love like Him? Forgive like Him? Serve like Him? Psalm 25:4–5 (NKJV) tells us: “Show me Your ways, O Lord; lead me in thy truth. . . teach me Your paths.” To delve deeper into this subject, consider reading "More like Him."
3) I desire to do more for the Lord.
This is the third step in receiving our “more.” We must first learn about God and then develop those same characteristics in our own lives. Otherwise, all we do becomes just busyness, not service. “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23, NKJV). Before we begin seeking our “more,” perhaps we should ask this question: Do I want more from God or more of God? How we answer that question determines the type of our relationship.
If we want more from Him, then we are like those in the Gospels who followed Him only for the loaves and the fishes. The emphasis becomes about us and our desires. But when we desire more of God, the emphasis changes to how we can deepen our relationship with Him. Join me on this journey to discover a life of more. As we travel, we will find we also have more joy, more hope, more peace, and more fulfillment.
~ BY MARY LOUDERMILK (Excepts from an article Three Practical Ways to Draw Closer to God)
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