Intimacy with God

Daily Scripture Threshing for Today, Thursday, July 10, 2025

Today's Text: James 4:4-10

Key Verse: James 4:8 (NIV): "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."

Just as a deep friendship blossoms through intentional time, shared experiences, and open communication, so too does our intimacy with God deepen through actively seeking Him. Our key verse, James 4:8, beautifully encapsulates the reciprocal nature of this divine relationship: when we make the effort to draw near to God, He promises to draw near to us. This isn't a passive waiting game, rather, it is an invitation to actively pursue a personal and close relationship with the divine.

In this entire text before us, Apostle James emphasizes the importance of humility, prayer, and drawing near to God. The context suggests that the readers were struggling with worldly desires and conflicts, and needed encouragement to reorient their lives toward God. To draw near to God is to cultivate a deep, personal relationship with Him through prayer, worship, and obedience. The author admonishes his reader to "cleanse your hands" as a call to repentance and cleansing from sin. He added the need to "purify our hearts" as an emphasis of the importance of inner purity and single-minded devotion to God as against double-mindedness and being torn between worldly desires and their commitment to God.

To be intimate with God, we must experience His presence, understand His heart, and live in alignment with His will. It's a journey in progress that calls for more than just surface-level acknowledgment. It demands a purifying of our hearts and a turning away from anything that competes for His rightful place in our lives. That is why we are warned against friendship with the world, which divides our loyalty and hinders true closeness with God. Imdeed, as we meditate on this text, let us humble ourselves, submit to Him, and resist influences that pull us away. When we humble ourselves before the Lord and genuinely repent, cleansing our hands and purifying our hearts from double-mindedness, we create space for God to draw intimately close to us, and lift us up in His grace.

Action Steps: Be intentional about setting aside dedicated time each day for prayer, reading God's Word, and quiet reflection, creating space for Him to draw near. Examine your life for anything that might be hindering your closeness with God, such as worldly desires or pride, and humbly repent. Practice submission to God's will in all areas of your life, trusting His guidance and resisting temptations that pull you away from His presence.

Quote for the Day: "Just as a river flows towards the sea, our souls are drawn to God; and as we seek Him, His presence rushes to meet us." (Simon Olatunji #quotablequote)

Let Us Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for the profound invitation to draw near to You. Help me to lay aside all that hinders true intimacy, and to pursue You with a whole heart. Grant me the humility to submit to Your will and the grace to experience Your presence more deeply each day — in Jesus's most glorious name. Amen.

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Thank you for being part of this journey. For additional reading on today's meditation, read: Psalm 73:28, Hebrews 10:22, and 1 John 3:20-21.

With all my love and prayers,

Rev Simon Wale Olatunji, Ph.D.

Your Darling Bishop (DaBishop)

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