Stepping Out With God - Pasir Panjang Church of Christ Singapore

A second guideline for the new year that I would like to recommend is for us
to draw nearer to God. Where are you in relationship to God? If your
relationship with God is compared to a family car where would you place
God? Is God in the back seat or in the driver's seat? I know some people who
put God in the boot and leave Him there until they need Him. You know, kind
of like a spare tyre.
The Bible says in James 4:8 for us to draw near to God with the promise that
He will draw near to you.
When our lives are ordered in such a way that we want to be with God in an
intimate way, our hearts and our minds will be seeking His will and doing the
things that please Him.
Drawing near to God means living every day in full awareness that you are
in partnership with God in everything that you do.
I love the way the Psalmist puts it in Psalm 118:24: "This is the day which the
Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."
If we know that today belongs to the Lord and you are walking close to Him
like partners... you can take whatever the world dishes out and turn every
moment into a blessing.
One way of looking at this is to think of ourselves as missionaries. Suppose
you are sent by PP to Batam, Indonesia. As a missionary, what do you do?
Do you complain when you go from pillar to post to obtain a visa? Do you
worry if all the comforts of home are not readily available? What do you do
when you come across some people who seem to want to make your life
difficult?
As a missionary, I presume you will take all these in your stride. You know you
have been sent, that you are not alone or without support. You will turn
every encounter into an opportunity to share Christ. And rather than complain,
you rejoice that you are privileged to be sent as a missionary.
It is easy to understand the role of a missionary, but should not our lives be
lived in a similar vein if we desire to draw closer to God?
There are times in the ministry, when I feel distressed and discouraged. But
there was never a time when I felt the urge to quit, no matter how tough the
situation was. Why is this so?
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