Reason#8: To be Closer to God

If God’s presence is everything Moses believed it was, then we too should desire to be closer to Him. The Psalms are full of adoring and reverent language about the joy of being in God’s presence.

Psalm 84:10-12
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.  I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.  For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.  O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You.  (NAS)

I mean, like, wow.  Dwell on those verses for a few minutes.  We could stop reading right here. One day is better than a thousand. No good thing does God withhold. Not one good thing. From those who walk with Him.

This is what we call perspective.  Or, in the language of Jesus, he who has ears to hear.  A heavenly perspective sees life from the vantage point of God, and from that perspective, the things the world peddles to us as so important and valuable are like garbage.  Paul uses this language in Philippians.

Philippians 3:7,8
But more than that, I am indeed regarding all things to be a loss for the sake of the surpassing greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for the sake of whom I suffered loss of all things and am regarding them as garbage. (NT Transline)

The word garbage there is a little light on the translation.  The word also means dung, excrement, and refuse.  Now, we know Paul suffered.  Suffering hurts, and entails pain.  He suffered the loss of all things, not just a few CDs, his cable TV, or his bonus.  And on top of that, not only did he lose them, he calls them a big pile of crap.  Why?  Because the knowledge of God is so much greater in comparison.

Like so many Bible truths, this is very easy to say. But, do you believe it? Do you really believe it? Remember earlier what James said about hearing but not doing? If a person believes this truth, then they also must pursue God with all their heart. No pursuit, no faith.

You get to know someone by being close to them. So we who desire freedom from sin must concurrently desire to be closer to God. You can’t have one without the other.

That’s a heavenly perspective.  What value does anything on earth have compared to God’s kingdom and the promises He has made in His word?  One of the best promises of all is that we get to be with Him in glory.  In His presence.  For those who have eyes to see, this alone is a sufficient reason to want freedom.  Sin cannot be in the presence of God.  Even in this life, we can tangibly experience a measure of God’s presence.  We can be closer to Him.  All through the Bible, God draws near to some people, and withdraws from others.  We’ve already seen what happened when He withdrew from Saul.

The more we draw near to God, the more He draws near to us.  And there is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit when we set our hearts and lives apart for Him.