HOW CAN I BE CLOSER TO GOD?

LIBERTY AND LOVE #127

We all wonder if we are as close to God as we should be. Jesus said that we are to seek the kingdom of God first (Matthew 6:33). But what does that mean? And how do we know if we are doing it?

There really is no secret. It is all very practical stuff. You get to know someone by spending time with them and thinking about them.

“My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word” (Psalms‬ ‭119:148‬). There is no substitute for reading and meditating on the word of God. Read from a translation that you can understand and read the right parts of the Bible. For example, the Book of Revelation or Daniel or 2 Kings is not what you need when you first start your personal reading program. Perhaps read the Gospel of Mark, because it is the shortest gospel and that will get you in the habit of reading.

After reading Mark, read Ephesians, maybe, and then John. By the time you do that you will be in the habit of reading and it will be coming alive. I recommend the New Living Translation because it is very accurate and very easy to understand. But whatever translation you read, make sure it is one you can understand as easily as you can understand a current magazine.

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving” (Col.‬ ‭4:2‬). We should talk to him believing that he is listening, for prayer was his idea. He told us to pray, so he really wants to hear from us. If you believe that the Lord is really listening, prayer becomes very powerful. And once your prayer life comes alive everything else falls into place. There is no substitute for spending time with him—talking to him and reading his word. Man-made religion has made those things so complicated when they are meant to be simple.

Jesus is a real person with real feelings and the more you learn about him, the more amazing you realize he is. Also, don’t focus on “trying to love him more.” That is not how love works. You don’t love someone by “trying” to love them. You love someone by getting to know them. Think about his love for you. When you get excited about how much he loves you, then your love for him will grow automatically.

Dewayne Dunaway