Many of us lead a busy city life in Singapore.  The working class, students, businessmen and homemakers have grown used to racing against time.  Sometimes life is like a pressure cooker, leaving us hardly any space to breathe; sometimes it is like a torrent, which spins us out of control and we have no choice but to go with the flow.  When we can finally catch our breath, we would watch a movie, enjoy good food, play computer games, go shopping, surf the internet, go out with friends, join interest groups, log on to the Facebook, listen to music or do some exercises to relieve stress.  Dear brothers and sisters, is our LORD Jesus present in all these activities?  Do you set aside time to study the Bible and pray to our Lord every day?  When you encounter a problem, do you pray first before thinking about how you should handle the problem according to biblical principles?  When you are overwhelmed with stress, is Christ your first confidante?

James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”  Please do not be mistaken: God is not asking us to take the first step to get close to Him before he is willing to draw close to us.  In fact, He desires for us to be close to Him.  It is God who first calls us to draw close to him.  It is not God who does not want us to be close to Him and leave us; it is we who have distanced ourselves from Him.  When we only care about our needs and act according to our hearts’ desires with no regards for God, we have drifted away from Him.  When we live in sin, we have drifted away from God.  The second half of the verse in James 4:8 tells us that we should stop sinning.  Sin causes Man to be separated from God.  Once a Christian leads a life away from GOD, he is unable to enjoy God’s blessings.  What a waste!  However, once we are determined to make amends, to draw closer to our Lord, the book of James tells us of a very precious promise: the Lord wants us to draw closer to him.

Recently the church has been encouraging our brethren to cultivate the good habit of keeping a regular quiet time.  The objective is for everyone to receive our daily bread (God’s Word) and have a quiet time to pray to God.  When we are able to keep a regular quiet time and let God’s Word lead our lives, we are definitely able to experience the joy and love of being close to Him.  If you do not have the habit of keeping a regular quiet time, I encourage you to set aside 15 minutes daily to spend time with our Lord.  It can be the first thing you do in the morning before you start the day, or you can do it during your lunch break or at night as a way to conclude the day’s activities.  Whatever the time of the day is, please set aside time for this precious quiet time with the Lord your Saviour.  I am sure that there are endless topics to talk about when you meet up with your friend.  Similarly, the Lord speaks to you through the Bible during your quiet time so you can take everything to the Lord in prayer.  When you read and meditate on God’s word, do humbly reflect on yourself and ask if these biblical verses are pointing out your incorrect behaviour or if you need to break away from some bad habits? Perhaps these verses can help you better understand God’s will and His nature.  They could also help you understand what God is expecting of you.  Does it offer comfort and encouragement?  After reading the Bible, do respond to God through prayer.  You may praise Him, confess your sins or give thanks to Him, etc.

Dear brothers and sisters, while we are busy making a living in this world, we need God’s word to remind us of His presence and to offer us comfort.  May you keep a regular quiet time so that you may draw closer to the Lord and enjoy a fruitful life.  God wants to be close to you.