DEVOTIONAL INSIGHTS & REFLECTIONS

Intimacy with God - January 7

The God of the universe longs for intimacy with you... He already knows you intimately, better than you know yourself even. He knew you before you were a spark in the eyes of your parents. He knew you from the foundation of the world..., but He also wants you to know Him intimately.

He will never leave or forsake (divorce) you, but will be with you until the end of the world. He has been declaring that to His people from the beginning. See the following verses, to name a few:

Deuteronomy 31:8 - And the LORD, he [it is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Hebrews 13:5 - [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Joshua 1:9 - Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest.

1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Hebrews 13:5-6 - [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Read More...)

Matthew 28:20 - ...Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.

And God NEVER changes. See what He said through the prophet Malachi (the last book in the Old Testament) when speaking with His children about robbing Him in tithes and offerings:

"Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me," says the LORD of hosts. "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. "From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts. "But you say, 'How shall we return?'… ~Malachi 3:5-7

God says, "I am married to the backslider." (See Jeremiah 3:14.)

To "backslide" is "to lapse morally or in the practice of religion; to revert to a worse condition: retrogress." (Mirriam-Webster)

The best way to form an intimate relationship with anyone, including God, is by spending time with and getting to know them. And that kind of relationship with God is a prayer, a thought away... Read His Word and learn of Him and His ways.

If you have been neglecting your relationship with the Almighty, won't you turn back to Him today and listen to His voice?