Come near to God and he will come near to you.

Observation/Application: Yesterday Roslyn and I were driving on 87 and witnessed an accident. After the shock of seeing a car swerve into the car
in the next lane, we pulled over to make sure that everyone was ok. What happened next was unreal. The driver who was at fault started blaming the innocent driver.  In fact he began yelling and ordering people around. I quickly stepped in and told everyone what I had seen and then pointed to the man who was at fault and told him so.  He quickly got into his vehicle and kept his mouth shut. Why do these things happen?  Why do we lie, manipulate, and deceive people? Why are we hearing on the news of people walking into schools and taking aim at the nearest thing that moves? First it’s because we don’t submit ourselves to a true living God in Jesus Christ. Submit has the connotation of obedience. We submit to those we obey. Second James indicates that we have an enemy, the devil, who deceives, lies, and tries to manipulate us.  Yet within this verse we get a great promise that when we resist the devil by submitting to Christ he will flee. James gives a great invitation to us all to come near to God. Let us strive together to come near our Savior.

Prayer: Father, thank you for coming near us that was made possible through your death and resurrection. Forgive me when I try to lie and deceive people for my own gain. May I resist the devil and come near to you today. Amen.

Blessings,

Steve