The longer Eve engaged the snake in conversation, the deeper the doubt took root.
Tag: proximity
We read of God’s instructions for King Solomon and realize that integrity of heart and faithfulness are impossible apart from the Father. Proximity breeds purity. Distance produces degeneration. We must stay near to God; on the heels of his holiness. We cannot live for Him on our own.
Seeking is all-encompassing. Seeking God means letting every lesser frivolity fall to second, third, or even last place.
Jesus will routinely take us to unpopular and even dangerous places. He will inevitable lead us to locations we’d rather avoid altogether.
Pause with me for a moment and revel in the reality of the God of heaven slowing down to sit with us in our sorrow. Note, He is not inexperienced with suffering: Jesus has walked on earth in flesh and subjected the Godhead to the excruciation of temptation, the trauma of sin and even death. God is not too far-off to understand or too insulated to empathize.
“Now some of the teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves…” (Mark 2:6 NIV) The Pharisees spent all their time in Jesus’ presence in dissection and accusation. Jesus’ ministry looked so wildly different than their own, they could wrap their minds around…
Regularly recognized as the wisest man on earth, Solomon discovered that his wisdom was in direct correlation with his walk with God.
We read Simon’s name amidst the details of the alabaster anointing and we realize that our own healing is merely a footnote in the far-grander story of who Jesus is.
When storms come, we fare best when we climb as close to Him as we can get.