Closer To The Son

Call it global warming, an El Nino effect, or urban radiation from the proliferation of pavement, concrete and traffic… whatever you call it, the reality is that the weather is hot! There are some of you out there that are like the classic movie title, “Some like It Hot.” But most of us gather around the air conditioner sipping cold drinks and fanning ourselves with junk mail. Somewhere between sips and fanning we take a deep breath and confess, “O well, it is summer.” Yes, the reality of hotter weather is and always will be proximity to the sun. The closer we orbit to the celestial incinerating center of our universe the warmer the temperatures. This won’t cool anyone down but I think there’s a wonderful spiritual parody in that the closer we get to the Son the more we are on fire for the Lord! Proximity to the divine heats things up!

I’ve always felt that the challenge of James 4:8 (Come near to God and he will come near to you…) was how close to God do you dare to get. The lifelong quest is how do I accomplish that challenge for my life? O, we know the standard list of: Bible study, prayer, church attendance/fellowship and spiritual meditation. But there’s this spiritual longing that just keeps one thinking, “I’m just not there! I want to be closer but I seem to be in a rut.” Well, I don’t have THE answer but I do think that what helps is a tall cool glass of beatitudes to let one know how high their spiritual flame burns.

Jesus prefaces His role as fulfiller of the law and prophets (Matthew 5:17) by recounting God’s blessings for His people. The surprise is it’s not the spiritually elite or sanctified satisfied nor the religious know-it-alls but rather the poor in spirit, the mournful, the meek and those that hunger and thirst after righteousness! Getting closer to the Son doesn’t generate self heat that blinds others with our spiritual brilliance but rather reflects humbly the Lord’s glory (2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:6). Spiritual fires burn best with a longing to be closer to God even though we feel poor, lament our woeful nature and cower at the realization that we are not worthy of His grace. Yet all of that is met with God’s assurance that He’s looking for the thirsty and hungry not the satisfied! So brothers and sisters let’s keep on hungering for His word, longing for His presence and parched for the Spirit’s living streams of the water of life… and each day we’ll find ourselves closer to the Son! -DAN