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

Who keeps me from getting any closer to God than I am right now? It's me. Paul says that God is not far from any one of us. It's me who prevents this growth. There have been times in my life where there have been leaps of growth. I feel that I am a strong Christian who is growing in his walk with Jesus, becoming mature in the things of God. But there have often been times when I don't grow. I don't spend time reading my Bible. Instead of a ministry with people, I have a job that I do out of necessity and schedule instead of "presenting myself as a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable in His sight." God gives me a promise: He will draw near to me if I draw near to Him. What a wonderful promise! How do I miss this? It's not complicated. It's truth. It's simple truth. If I draw near to Him then He will draw near to me. This verse presents a cause and effect relationship. Just like if I flip the switch the light will come on, so will God draw near to me if I draw near to Him. Do I not believe God when He tells me this? I know that I enjoy the times of growth far greater than times of being stagnant and falling back. Is it not in my power to seek these growing times at all times? Emphasis should be put on the Holy Spirit working in our lives and He instructs us in this very verse. God is not going to force me to draw near to Him, but He promises me that if I do, then He will draw near to me. So, why not put forth the effort? It's foolishness not to. This is a promise I have to believe. This is truth that can't be denied.