Questions To Ask in The New Year
We’re about to close the door on 2020. Now I’m a thinker and a feeler, so this time of year always gets me. As I reflect back on any given year, I ask these questions; what was good, what was hard, what do I want to remember, repeat, what do I hope to forget?
More and more, these thoughts are encapsulated in one question,
Where did I grow closer to Christ?
Also these:
Who did I experience him with?How has my family lived with him in our home?What can I do to go deeper in the depths of the heart of Christ?
That’s what I want for you too. My friends and readers, I want you to think on where you are now with God, and take the next step closer. And closer. I’ve realized we often read admonishments like this and want it for ourselves to a certain degree, but we can be woefully ill-equipped to make it happen. How does one actually get closer to God?
I asked a question on twitter, if you don’t read your Bible regularly, why not? The questions ranged from no time to why should I since there are other ways to know God. They were honest answers and I was thankful people saw fit to share them with me.
For all my life, as an evangelical Christian, I was taught we learn about God from scripture. I still believe that, and it’s my favorite way to learn about him. I draw closer to God through the hours of time I spend in his word. Don’t get between me and my Bible.
There are other ways to grow closer to God too. We do ourselves a disservice if we discount them.
I could not attend church in person from March until July. Our church opened up then, with precautions in place, and we have continued meeting. Those four months are the longest I have ever been away from the sanctuary. I needed it desperately. I would have gone to any sanctuary that was open if my own had not been made available to me. This is one way I grow closer to God.
The spirit of the one true God lives in the lives of other Christians. That indwelling is an indescribable gift. It’s why I visit churches, learn about new-to-me spiritual disciplines and befriend men and women from every church tradition. I know Christ more as I learn how you interact with him. Together, we grow closer to God.
When I silence myself, and sit in the quiet (this can even happen in a checkout line of a busy store), the Holy Spirit gives me direction and discernment. His prompts never go against Scripture but they are highly personalized and help me to see I’m not the knower of all things in the Bible. God is. The Spirit is a faithful guide. The more I press into him, the closer I grow to God.
No matter what 2021 brings I want to know the triune God. Does this include scripture? I think it should. Whatever it takes to spend just a few more minutes in the Bible, I’ll always be a proponent of that. But that’s only one way to know God. In order to know him in his fulness, I’ll continue pursuing these other ways as well. May you see my fruit and know it looks, tastes and smells of God. May I experience the same from you.