To get close to our
Heavenly Father, we must experience all of Him. His presence must be evident in
our lives. There will be changes in our attitudes as well as the way we
experience our world. We must know deep inside our person: that God is real. The
Almighty promises He will come to us if we will seek Him.
For our Heavenly Father
to be in our lives, we must be willing to turn away from the things that are
not of Him. Sin separates us from God. Often what’s pleasing to the world is
upsetting to God. If we want to find The Almighty, we must be willing to see the
entire world from His point of view. If we do this, we can start chipping away
at the things that separate us from His love.
Searching for
closeness with your Heavenly Father is like shopping for a valuable pearl (for
someone you cherish). Matthew 13:45-46 (VOICE) puts it this way: “Or the
Kingdom of Heaven is like a jeweler on the lookout for the finest pearls. When
he found a pearl more beautiful and valuable than any jewel he had ever seen,
the jeweler sold all he had and bought that pearl, his pearl of great price.”
How does someone move
beyond level thee (close) on the spiritual growth ladder? There are actions
that God has told us to do to strengthen our faith, and experience closeness with
Him. They include…
1.
Full surrender to Jesus
This involves
making the Bible your last word on
everything; willingness to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading; and sacrificing
your daily events to Him.
“Honor Christ and let Him be the Lord of your life. Always
be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope.” (1
Peter 3:15, CEV)
“Let God have your life. He
can do more with it than you can.” (Dwight L.
Moody)
2.
Focus on serving others
This involves an eagerness
to witness to others; faithfulness in serving the needy; and a motivation to disciple
others.
“What you have heard me teach publicly you should teach
to others. Share these teachings with people you can trust. Then they will be
able to teach others these same things.” (2
Timothy 2:2, ERV)
“Salvation is free, but discipleship will
cost you your life.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
3.
Forget
about spiritual stagnancy
This involves not
investing little time in your faith; less connected to a body of believers, and
become too busy with non-spiritual pursuits.
“Then your
heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “ (Deuteronomy 8:14, RSVCE)
“Security breeds stagnation.” (Andy Warhol)
“My
relationship with God is my number one focus. I know that if I take care of
that, God will take care of everything else.”
(Anonymous)[i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon “Stepping Up: Beyond Close”
(installment three, final) Sunday, November 19, 2017 Pastor Dave Jansen CenterPoint
Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH.
·
Exploring
the Christian faith
· Growing as you follow Jesus
·
Close to living a spirit-lead life
· Jesus-Centered
is the way all life decisions are made
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