Close to God

Shout with joy before the Lord, O earth! Obey him gladly; come before him, singing with joy.

Try to realize what this means - the Lord is God! He made us - we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Go through his open gates with great thanksgiving; enter his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation. Psalms 100:1-5 (TLB)

Patricia Pace lives in Georgia. For a couple of years now, their seven-year-old grandson has come to spend a week of his summer vacation with them. They are excited when he comes to visit because they get to have some quality, one-on-one time with him. They get to know him on a more personal level than they would when all of their eight grandchildren gather around them. During his last stay, they learned many new things about him: He loves grits with cheese; hr doesn't like butter on his waffle, only syrup; he eats his dessert first; he has lost interest in dinosaurs and monster trucks and is now into baseball; he doesn't say his prayers aloud, but he says them in his head.

What new things could we discover about God if we took the time each day to focus solely on God? What kind of meaningful relationship could we develop if we gave God quality time? We might actually get to know God instead of just knowing about God. God loves us and wants a personal relationship with each of us. Time spent in talking and listening to God as well as reading and studying scripture craws us closer every day.

Prayer: Dear God, we hunger for you. Thank you for opportunities you provide us each day to be closer to you, in Jesus' name. Amen.