Articles
Drawing Nearer to God
When we gather as the church on Sundays and have a chance to worship with others, are we thinking about how blessed we are? As Christians today we are eternally blessed in the fact that at least every Sunday and every time we worship, we are drawing nearer to God. The ancient Hebrews were not so blessed because the law was only a temporary solution to sin using animal sacrifice. Therefore, in the tabernacle God could only reside in the inner most part of it, the Most Holy Place. It had to be separated by a curtain and only the high priests could enter. Even then, the high priests could only enter the most holy place once a year on Yom Kippur and could not do so without the shedding of blood.
As Christians we can be with God because we have the blood of Christ instead of animals. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross paid the price for everyone’s salvation till the end of time. He was the perfect lamb, God’s only Son, and because of His blood a new covenant between man and God was made, thus splitting open the veil that separated God from the rest of man. Now, the church is His living temple with the Holy Spirit of God able to reside in us and guide us after baptism. The children of God are no longer dependent on a high priest but are one with the High Priest.
God has opened the door for us to draw nearer to Him through the blood of Jesus Christ. How do we step through that doorway each week, drawing ourselves closer to Him? Because the more we grow our relationship with Him, the more we learn to trust Him and grow dependent solely on Him, not on the world that we chose to leave behind in baptism. The goal we as Christians have is to be with Him in heaven--there is no nearer we can get than that--so long as we truly desire it. But before we get near to Him in heaven, we must become baptized with the blood of Christ. In doing so we promise God that we will draw near to Him while we are still on Earth.
Do not be afraid to turn to Him when you are joyful or in need, to burst your heart open into song praising His holy name, to spread His name to others day to day through your actions and devotion. Make time each week to break out your Bible, and make time each day to pray. Do not be afraid to invite others to church, to encourage others, to love them, and love yourself. Every day and every week, always challenge yourself to draw nearer to God.
Inspired by: Leviticus 16:29; Leviticus 23:27; Hebrews 4:14-5:9, Exodus 25-31, 35-40; Hebrews 10:19-23; Hebrews 7:18-25; James 4:1-10
