God Draws Near To Us As We Fix Our Thoughts On Him - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and
majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him today and what came to my heart and mind in Hebrews 3:1,

"Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your
thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess."

This exhortation follows an observation made by the writer of Hebrews
"Because he [Jesus Christ] himself suffered when he was tempted, he is
able to help those who are being tempted." Hebrews 2:18. It addresses
the age-old challenge we face: as a Christian, how do I live my life
pleasing my Creator God? How do I handle the temptation to sin, the
temptation to pursue those things displeasing to my Savior from day to
day? How do I find the resolve and diligence to do those things I know
he expects of me?

There are many religions in the world today that are built around
"fixing" what we all know to be a reality… there is something wrong
with all of us, what Paul calls our "sin nature". As followers of
Jesus Christ we find the key to this to be found in him. We are told
in this verse to fix our thoughts in Jesus. It is a theme found
elsewhere in this letter and throughout the New Testament. After
observing that "rules" have no power to restrain sensual indulgence,
Colossians 2:23, Paul tells us to fix our hearts and minds on things
above where Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God,
Colossians 3:1-2. This provides the ability to follow through then on
those things which please the Lord as found in the remainder of that
chapter.

The reality of this lies in a truth expressed by James in 4:8: if we
draw near to God, he will draw near to us! In Galatians 5:22 we find
that as God draws near us, his Holy Spirit produces changes in our
lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and so forth. Our drawing
near to God is life-changing.

This is why we encourage one another to spend time in Scripture and
identify themes of worship each day. In order to worship our God, we
must fix our minds and hearts on him which results in him drawing near
to us, changing us from within. As the writer of Hebrews tells us we
need to enter into "his rest" from our own works, both in embracing
Jesus Christ in faith bringing salvation and following salvation to
grow in spiritual maturity: we still rest from our works and draw near
him, allowing him to transform us into his image, Romans 8:29.

I may be weak and subject to strong temptation, but our God is
powerful and able to change me from within! There is something
mystical here, something that taps into the spirit world where our
Savior rules supreme. "To him who is able to keep you from falling and
to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with
great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and
authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and
forevermore! Amen." Jude 24-25.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

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