For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16 ESV)
Have you ever been to a building where you need a swipe card to go to places? You need others to let you in so that you can move around. Otherwise, you feel immobile, trapped and dependent on others. Many times, we feel also stuck in life – as if we are immobile and trapped. But through Jesus, we have a special “swipe card” with God – we can come to Him in times of joy and sorrow, in peace and anxiety, in plenty and dire need. God is available to us 24/7/365. The ever-present Holy Spirit guides us in all things. There is nothing that is stopping us from drawing near to God – except our sin and rebellion. Jesus is called “Emmanuelle,” meaning “God with us.” We can draw close to God as much as we want. Don’t you feel unique and privileged? We have the Creator of all the universe on a hotline! How special it really is to be so near the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
So How Do You Avail Yourself of Direct Access to God?
- Value your time with God. We are meeting not a distant God, but a caring and loving God who wants to walk with us through our day. God wants to care for us as a hen cares for her brood under her wings [see Matthew 23:37]. God’s love is personal and real. He is there to hear your prayers, and He is always available for you.
- Walk with God as you go through your daily life – at work, in school, at home or anywhere. So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV) Friar and Brother Lawrence called this way of relating to God as practising the presence of God. Learn more about it.
- Know that you have God’s authority with you. With God’s Spirit, you can take control of your unruly and unredeemed human nature – your old self. You do not have to give in to the desires of the old self; Jesus is the new Captain of your life. After all, you are the heir of an incomparably powerful God.
- Be with God in times of joy and sorrow, in times of need and times of no need. Many times, we only seek God when we need Him. Celebrate good times with God; God desires true friendship, and He is not just your personal problem solver. Be a true friend with God, and know that God wants you to walk with Him.
- Know that even when we sin and rebel, God does not abandon us. He is there seeking our repentance and wants to engage in relating to us as His sons and daughters once again. God is faithful forever.
- Share the gospel – Be mindful that people around you have a chance to have unique access with God too. The best thing you can ever do a friend or acquaintance is to share Jesus with them.
- Your special access to God will come into full reality in heaven. We will inherit heaven itself, and we will spend eternity with God together with all those who seek Him in this life. Our relationship with God now is just a foretaste of our walking with God in heaven one day. Make sure you love God more than anything else in this life! Being with God in heaven is worth all the troubles we will face in life.
OTHER SCRIPTURE PASSAGES:
- This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realised in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. (Ephesians 3:11-12 ESV).
- See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:1-2 ESV)
- And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Galatians 4:6-7 ESV)
- Other Bible verses: Romans 5:2; James 4:8; and Hebrews 10:19-22.
FOR REFLECTION OR SHARING:
- In what way can you avail your unique access to God more?
Do you practice walking with God daily in your life? If not, why don’t you give it a try?
Top photo credit: Man watching sunrise, from Bigstock.com, photo copyright by Andrushko Galyna, stock photo ID: 4172670
Tom Caballes is a National Coordinator of the Lamb of God, a community of the Sword of the Spirit with seven branches located throughout New Zealand. Tom and his wife Mhel and their two daughters [with his son-in-law and grand-daughter] live in Wellington, New Zealand.