Draw Me Near Your Heart

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"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them" (Psalm 145:18-19).

Lord I am pouring out my heart to You so You may draw me near to You for Your words open my eyes to see what Your true love means to me and all You have done and have been doing for me.

So many times our ego takes over and draws us away from God. We grow in this world with ideas, hopes and plans for our future and we feel that everything is so clear to us until we meet face to face with the Lord. We amazingly realize that this is not what we desire for our lives.

Following Him, being near to Him and being guided by Him becomes our goal for our lives. For Jesus Christ's love empowers us to live according to the Holy Spirit in us.

"Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth is according to godliness. In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began" (Titus 1:1-2).

St. Paul's life is our best example of dedication, love, and faith to the word of God and how someone can be transformed from opposing God, hated Christians, and persecuted the church of our Lord Jesus Christ to a slave of Jesus Christ who committed his life entirely to build the body of Christ.

Who is St. Paul?

Born in Tarsus of Cilicia
Circumcised on the 8th day
From the tribe of Benjamin
His father was a Roman citizen
Hebrew of a Hebrew
A very exceptional student
Lived all his young life by the letter of the law
Had zeal for God but sincerely went wrong; for he took matters in his own hand
Played great part in the death of St. Stephen and many other saints
Came to Damascus seeking to persecute more Christians

St. Paul did not become a saint immediately after he met our Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, but after he was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit became a follower of Jesus Christ and then he prayed, humbled himself, obeyed God, changed his way of life, spent five years of knowing Jesus Christ personally and after that he started evangelizing the Lord's message of salvation.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Through St. Paul's life journey and the letters that he recorded for us in the Holy Bible, he taught us so many insights to reach God's heart; for the closer he came to our Lord Jesus Christ the more he came to understand that:

Practice and fulfilling the smallest details of the law will make him satisfied with himself and seeking salvation through his own effort
We are saved entirely by God
Without love we do not stand a chance of being close to God
We can only reach God's grace through faith
Commitment to God allows us to bear fruits

St. Paul became one of Jesus Christ's followers full of zeal and courage and traveled many places to spread the word and the truth about God between the Jews in Jerusalem and the Gentiles. Thus he suffered many challenges, test of his faith, persecution, humility, and many trials.

"Likewise, was not Rehab the harlot, also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:25-26).

By faith we believe in God, hope and seek heaven, trust in Jesus Christ and His promises, and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in all our ways of life. So, never neglect to serve the Lord and spread His words to others for if our love springs from Jesus Christ, we must love one another and care to invite them to come to the Lord as one body.

May the Lord grant each and every one of us a life with Him for His glory.

Near Your Heart
Where can I be without Your love for me?
Loving You is my life's desire
I love the way You love me
I feel You with me in every step I take
I hear You whisper to me You are a child of mine
When sadness covers me I see You rushing to comfort me
I love You Lord more than my heart can bear
It comforts me that You can see what is there
And
How my soul is addicted to You
I miss You although You are near to me
And
My tears can nearly comfort me
Near Your heart where I always want be
And
You are the only one who can grant my wish for me