Welcome to Day 22. for one of our short powerful devotions from the 30 Bible Verses About God's Amazing Grace, bible reading plan. This short devotional is based on James 4:8-10.
Draw Near To God
Did you catch that wonderful promise at the beginning of these verses?
God promises in James 4:8, draw near to God and he will draw near to you. I can tell you this is so very true!
When I fix my eyes on Jesus and grab my Bible with the intention to spend some time in His presence, my heart fills up with peace and joy. Sometimes I just have to touch my Bible and I sense God's presence. God desires to spend time with you. He is just waiting for you to open the door of your heart and say 'I'm here'!
These draw near to me bible verses follow on from our previous devotional bible study on James 4:6. We discussed how God gives grace to the humble for whatever circumstance that we are in or for whatever temptation to sin that assaults us.
Join me below as we unpack James 4:8-10 in our short devotional and join me for prayer at the end of the post too!
Draw Near To God Devotional:
I love how The Message translates James 4:8-10.
So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.
James is directing us on how we must act towards our Father! God adores us. He adores you.
Is there anything preventing you from drawing close to God?
Is there a sin in your life that prevents you from surrendering everything to God and letting Him take control of your life?
In James 4:8, James calls us to draw near to God, to move closer to Him. God promises to move closer to us. That is amazing grace! God does not have to show us His mercy but He does because He loves us.
Then James calls us sinners to clean our hands. Let's read this verse from the Amplified Bible:
James calls us to clean our hands and not to waver or be double-minded, trying to serve what our flesh desires and what we know God desires for us. Sin gets in the way often but God's amazing grace covers that sin if we desire for God to do it. He will give you the grace to overcome whatever prevents you from coming into His presence. It may take time to master our sin and temptations but with God's grace, we can do it!
Wash Your Hands Bible Verse:
Did you know that James 4:8 is also known as the 'wash your hands' bible verse?
Here is a fun bible study fact: When the Jewish people read James's letters who had grown up under the Law, they would have understood the call to clean their hands. It would have reminded them of ceremonial washing. The idea with ceremonial washing was to completely turn from their sin and to resolve to serve God and to begin again. That is what true repentance is!
Don’t let any sin you are holding on to so tightly keep you from coming to God. Draw near to Him, humble yourself before Him as you cleanse your hands and your hearts. Take some time in prayer and ask God to show you anything that you need to repent of. Cleanse your hands!
Draw close To God
To draw near to God is to simply open your heart to Him. God never withholds His presence from us but He never forces us to abide in Him. God is a gentleman, He waits for us patiently to come to Him, and then He rewards us with His peace and envelopes us in His love. You don't have to be perfect, you just have to accept God's grace and wash your hands, purify your heart and repent of sin.
Use the free guided prayer journal that you will find in the Resource Library or grab a notebook and use the following questions to enable you to unpack what God is saying to you through James 4:8-10 today.
Today's devotional is based on James 4:8-10 which is from our 30 Bible Verses About God's Amazing Grace, bible reading plan. You will find a free printable PDF of 30 scriptures about God's grace in the Resource Library. It has the bible reading plan, guided prayer, and gratitude journal. Download this free printable or grab a notebook.
What is God saying to you through this verse?
What burdens do you need to surrender to God and trust Him with?
Write out your prayer request.
What are you grateful for today? Count your blessings!
Write out the scripture verse, it helps you to memorize the scripture and store up God's truth in your heart. Then in the last section of the prayer journal, there is space to record what God is speaking to you through our grace bible verse for today, James 4:8-10.
Scripture Prayer James 4:8
We are called to pray without ceasing. That means we can talk with God at any time and in any place. You can chat with God throughout the day! Praying scripture is a powerful way to pray so join me in praying
James 4:8-10.
Thank You Father for Your amazing grace. Forgive me for letting sin get between me and You. I want to draw closer to You more each day. Help me to surrender my thoughts and actions to You and with Your grace, I will reflect Your glory more and more as I become the person that You have created me to be. Amen.
Related Resources:
You will find 30 Bible Verses About God's Amazing Grace (Free Bible Plan And Prayer Journal)HERE It will have the list of 30 Bible verses that we are using for 30 days that our short powerful daily devotionals are based on.
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xx Karen.