Draw Near

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8

We are starting a new bible study at church on Wednesday nights, and this one is titled "Drawing Near".
I think we could all use a little or a lot more nearness with God. I know I sure need it.
What does that verse say first? Draw near to God... We need to draw near first. He is always there with open arms. (picture the cross) God already made the move by having Jesus die for our sins. He's there, we need to move. Draw near to Him.
...and He will draw near to you. He is waiting for us. God's thoughts about us outnumber the grains of sand. Psalm 139: 17-18

We are the ones that determine the level of relationship we have with God. The bible is full of scripture that tells us what God thinks of us. He's crazy about us. We can't even understand the level of love he has for us. Now what is the level of love we have for Him? How much time do we give Him throughout the day?
I was watching the Packer/Viking game on t.v. Monday night. I was cheering and hooting and hollering and doing the touchdown dance every time the team I was rooting for made a touchdown or made a great play. Then it hit me. Or God hit me, I don't know. It was like He said, "Why don't you hoot and holler and cheer for me this way?" "I give you great plays every day". Ooooo guilty! I've been chewing on this one since Monday night.
We are the ones that determine the level of relationship we have with God. I'm not happy with my level right now.

These are some of the notes I took tonight at the study...

What do you think it means that He will then "draw near to you?"
He will give us answers, we will have peace, we get to experience His fruit! What joy!

Intimacy with God is available to each one of us. This is God's passion.
Break intimacy into pieces and you get "Into me see" Let your guard down, agree with Him.
How would your life change if you lived intimately with God? We would be more confident, have joy, we would have the desire to please Him.

Seek God for who He is, not what He can do for you. It's not about us. Focus on seeking His heart, not His hand.

What does drawing near look like to me.
When I wake up, I start to give God my list of prayer requests for the day. I had to stop myself the other morning because I realized that I didn't even say good morning to Him. It's like I pulled up to the drive-up window and put in my order, and hope He gets it right for the day. Real nice closeness I have here.
I need to praise Him for who He is. I need to dive in to His Word and find out what He has to say. I need to shut my mouth and open my ears.

God loves us just as much as He loves Jesus. Doesn't that blow your mind? That just wows me.

I love the before and after of James 4:8 too.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:7-10 NIV

My way of drawing near to God will be changing, because I want to be lifted up by the Lord.