Near

This word means that something or someone is close by.  For example, my retirement is near, or I’m near my house.  One of my favorite books is “God Came Near” by Max Lucado. God came near to us when He was born a baby!  That word sort of jumped up in my lap this morning as I journeyed through Isaiah. Check this out…

 6 So you should look for the Lord before it is too late; you should call to him

while he is near.

8 The Lord says, “My thoughts are not like your thoughts.
 Your ways are not like my ways.

9 Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
 so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:6,8-9 NCV)

 There are times when I love being near people and there are times when I want to be alone. With the Lord, I’m never alone. He is always near because my heart belongs to Him. He doesn’t just up and leave – He’s faithful. He is consistent and constant. After reading in Isaiah, my journey through the New Testament brought me to Hebrews.  Check this out….

 22 let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, because we have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he promised. (Hebrews 10:22-23 NCV)

 God calls us to come near to Him. It is this time of year that I like to reflect on how God came near to us. He came as a baby born in Bethlehem. If He had not come, we would not know the Lord – we would not be free from our sin.  God came to earth and He drew near to us, so that we could draw near to Him. He will walk with me through anything I face. He will celebrate the joy of life with me. He is ALWAYS NEAR!

 Pressing On!

Dwayne