Staying close to God in a world that constantly invites us along paths that separate us from Him is often a challenging experience.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Not if we take the right perspective on the subject.
Today, I would like to talk to you about how to stay close to God.
To do so, I invite you to read a short text from the Bible.
He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Ephesians 2:17-22
Today’s Bible text is part of a beautiful gospel exposition presented by the Apostle Paul to the church of Ephesus.
In this part of the scripture, the apostle is telling the church that Jesus is the way by which everyone had come closer to God, and the way by which they now enjoyed access to God the Father.
Thanks to Jesus, they were now members of God’s family, no longer foreigners or strangers.
In order to stay close to God, it’s important to start at the right place.
The gateway to God is Jesus.
We need to make sure we’ve come in through it.
The key to entering through that door is faith in Jesus as our savior and redeemer.
It is the confidence that it is his merits and his righteousness, rather than our merits and our righteousness, which allow us to be accepted into God’s family.
When we try to create a different door, one made with our own efforts, we will fail irretrievably and deprive ourselves of the wonderful experience of being close to God.
In addition to this, I would like to mention that once we have made sure we are in the right place, to stay close to God, we need to build our lives and worship on the right foundation.
The apostle Paul tells us that sound doctrine, which has Jesus as the main piece, is the foundation on which our worship must be built.
Another foundation does not serve to keep us close to God.
When we build our lives and worship on something other than Jesus, we can be sure that what we are building is going to collapse.
To stay close to God, we need to make Jesus the center of our faith experience.
Without Jesus, everything is temporary.
We accomplish this by asking God to help us develop a trusting, intimate daily relationship with Him.
Finally, when we do this, we can stay close to God because He dwells in us.
Now we become His temple.
He dwells permanently in us through his Holy Spirit.
In this way, God lives with you, lives in you.
Helping you, guiding you, instructing you, healing you, indicating to you that which takes you away from Him, so that you can let go of it.
He dwells in you, developing your full potential.
Helping you become more and more like Jesus.
God becomes the center of your life, and therefore you can stay close to Him.
I hope these words have been a blessing to your life.
And what do you think? Do you want to stay close to God? Share in the comments.
A hug, God bless you.
