DRAW NEAR TO GOD - Lesson 2 - April 3,2008

DRAW NEAR TO GOD
Week 2

Things we need for this week:

A road map
Paper for children to draw
pencils/crayons

As we strive to draw near to God through reading God's Word, prayer, and fasting let us consider why these things are important to us so that we can get closer to Him.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8a) was the verse we discussed last week and were asked to memorize.

This week I asked the children to draw a map of Aunt Debbie's house to Spencer School. (You can draw a map to some place close by your home).

After they did this we looked at each child's map from the youngest to the oldest, pointing out how those who were older and more experienced had drawn maps with more details.

Then I opened up a road map which showed three states. This map had a lot of detail and with it we could find our way around three states.

After looking at that for a brief time I opened up a map of the world, showing the different continents. And then I shared with the children that if we used just the maps they had drawn or even the map of the three states, it could get us from one destination to another. Even in this, we need to be careful where we get our directions from. Had we used the map drawn by the youngest child, we would surely had problems finding our way, not because the child meant to confuse us or get us lost but simply because they did not yet have the skills to show us or guide us to our destination. We have to be careful who we get directions from.If the directions are wrong, we can get lost. Now, with the map of the continents, if no one every told us about the continents that were out there or if we did not have the map showing us them, we would be unaware of the many places there are to travel.

God has given us directions to come close to Him. They are written in His Word. Others can help us to get closer to Him by telling us how to or even by writing it down. But they can only tell you as far as they have gone. If they have only gotten so close to God, they can only bring you that close to Him.

One sure way of getting the directions to get as close to God as possible is found in His Directions to find Him, the Written Word. Jesus is the Living Word. John 1:1-3 reads, " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."

Jesus was always with God. Not only was He with God in the beginning, even when He got seperated from God when He was on the earth and carried our sins, He found His way back to Him. Not only does Jesus know the directions to our heavenly Father, Jesus IS the Directions to Abba, God!!

We read in the Bible: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." -- John 14:6

No one come near to God except through Jesus Christ. If we want to draw near to God we need to know Jesus and He will help us draw closer to God. Hallelujah!!!

Very good lesson in deed. So was last weeks.

I guess I'll just have to wait to see what comes next.