CHAPTER 1 – NEARER TO GOD
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8 NASB)
Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
Sarah Flower Adams (1841)
Legend has it that as the RMS Titanic sank, the band played this hymn.
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THE YOUNG MOTHER
The young mother approached me after a concert I performed. Her face was familiar. She held a baby in her arms, tears welling in her eyes, and her chin quivering. She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and whispered, “How do I get it back?”
I knew immediately what she meant, and what she meant broke my heart.
Four years earlier, this woman had been vibrant, effervescent. She and a group of friends attended Bible school, actively participated in the church’s college group, traveled on mission trips, and enjoyed life after high school to its fullest. They took innocent weekend trips to the ocean during which they all slept in cars or in the beach campgrounds. They camped in the mountains or took day hikes on local trails with evenings gathered around a crackling fire, sharing stories and singing songs. Deep discussions went late into the night about the things of God and life and future plans.
Now, she spent her days in a one-bedroom apartment, caring for her new child. Her husband’s job meant travel for most of the week, so she was alone most days and most nights. No parents lived near her, and her college friends were far away living their own lives. She was alone and lonely.
Spirituality was almost non-existent. When she went to church, she kept the baby with her, attending to her needs. The pastor’s sermon was stale and not relevant to anything in her life. The young adult group was mostly single people, and no young marrieds group existed – only a Sunday school class where the average age was somewhere around mid-century.
And so, that night she had come to a concert, cried through most of it, thinking about the past, and desperately looking for something she lost somewhere along the way. Many followers of Jesus share the same story – for it is a common one.
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DON’T FADE AWAY
A few things grow more interesting when they fade. The sound of a freight train moving down the tracks is better as the sound fades away. The blue of the sky at sunset as it fades and transforms into hues of red, amber, orange, and umber. A great pair of Levi’s are so much better after years of washing and fading. But a spiritual life that fades is not something anyone wants to see.
Perhaps, your early days with Jesus were exciting, filled with new learning and new experiences, only to become a mundane set of rituals and habits that seem more perfunctory than profound. To be a follower of Jesus meant baptism, discovery classes and Bible studies in a book that, for the first time, seemed exciting and alive. You discovered a new way of living, new friends, and a fresh culture that should have seemed ancient and antiquated, but quickly became desirable and something anticipatory.
However, after a few years (for some a few weeks), the newness diminished. The routines of church became just that – routine. Freedom became rules. Liberty turned into legalism. Past temptations entered your life, and a feeling of failure crept over you like a slow, gray fog. Old friends reappeared bringing the old ways with them. Before you knew it, you were doing the very things from which Jesus had rescued you. Or maybe you just felt like sleeping in on Sunday morning, not going to church anymore, and Sunday was easier if you just got ready for the afternoon game.
The young mother’s story is not new. Several authors have noted the failure of the church to meet the needs of its new believers. Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Robert Coleman, among others, have revealed flaws in ministry approaches and philosophies. Because ministries do not meet the needs of believers, church people hop around from church to church, leaving to try and find a vibrant spiritual life. It’s not that the churches are beyond hope, but a lack of vital spirituality kills these churches. In the worst cases, people leave the church and simply don’t go back. These churches close their doors, unable to sustain enough breath to crawl to next week’s services.
One of my favorite TV shows to watch are remodeling shows. You know the ones – where a couple buys an old farmhouse or a decrepit old barn and turn it into a sparkling living space filled with creativity and warmth. Sometimes, the building they buy to remodel is a church. During these episodes, I wonder about the lives that were once affected in this building, but I’m also curious about what caused the demise of this once thriving place of worship. There was a time when that building was filled with love and joy and peace, songs of praise to God, the preaching of God’s word, and changed lives rejoicing in their Savior.
Followers of Jesus desire lives that are full and abundant. They want to make a difference in their families, in their workplaces, and in their communities. They want to feel heaven on earth, and they want their friends to share the same experience.
Jesus promised an abundant life, life at its fullest.[1] He promised life with Him would be better than life without Him. He promised a spring of living water so you would never thirst again.[2] But if your story is the same as the young mother’s, how to you go back? How do you get nearer to God? How do you keep the fire burning? How do you keep the newness of a relationship with Jesus from fading or becoming stale? How do you blow off the dust? How do you make life with Jesus as full as can be? He promised you a life that would last forever – eternal life.[3] How do you get it back?
Is there a trick, a short cut, or an easy way to maintain a nearness to God? The question itself tells you the simple answer is “no.” There are no instant solutions, no tips and tricks, no secret formulas, and no step-by-step plans.
Pay attention to this truth: The way to stay near to God throughout your life is to stay near to God every day.
This may seem impossible – to stay near to God every day. It may seem out of reach. You may have tried to do this before. You may have made promises to God only to keep them for a week or two, and then you fell back into the same routines. Following God may appear to you like New Years resolutions. Simply put, you may feel like a failure when it comes to maintaining a relationship with God.
Pay attention to this truth: A life of following Jesus day after day is possible and may people do it every day.
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MINUTE BY MINUTE
Following Jesus and feeling like your life is full is possible and within reach. It’s achievable to keep your spirit alive, to maintain the excitement and vibrancy of your first days with Jesus, and to meet each day as a new adventure.
A life with Jesus is possible because you are not alone in your spiritual journey. A life with Jesus is not accomplished through willpower. God Himself helps you live a spiritual life. God’s Holy Spirit works with you to accomplish what God wants you to do.
…for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.[4]
Here’s where you start – daily. Cultivating a spiritual journey with God happens one day at a time.
Believers in Jesus have been doing it for centuries. Disciples, devoted followers of Jesus, have been living full lives for almost two thousand years. And they do it by practicing their spiritual walk with God for 24 hours at a time. A spiritual walk is a journey filled with spiritual practices, also called spiritual disciplines. These disciplines continue to be the fundamentals and keys to a fulfilled, vital life with your Creator.
If you continue to practice the things of God – and it takes practice – you will be able to do these things not only on a daily basis, but you will be able to do them minute by minute:
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.[5]
These things seem impossible to do, even for those who have followed Jesus for a long time. However, they are the result of practice. You cannot rejoice in all circumstances without practicing to rejoice for all things. You cannot pray without ceasing without practicing prayer in everything you do. You cannot give thanks in everything without practicing giving thanks. These things do not come automatically on the day you believe in Jesus. It takes practice, but the practice of the things of God leads to a full, abundant life.
And the good news is this: A full life with Jesus can start today. And the best part is this: There is no deadline; you have a lifetime to work on it. You have all the days of your life to perfect it.
So, let’s get nearer to God and let’s get started right now. Onward, forward!