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Good Morning friends, this is Michael De Rosa from the Mountainside Community Church in North Newport. My text is James 4:8
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Strange as this may seem to some, as each day passes for me, I am becoming increasingly aware of the wrongs that I have inflicted upon others, and the wrongs that I have incurred from others and the reason for this awareness has been my desire to know God more
Let me explain. When I was a younger Christian, I had inadvertently presumed that while the Christian life would not always be without pain, that any sufferings I went through would be minor and easily and quickly dealt with. Some are.
And others have been excruciating.
Yet what I find is that by drawing near to God is exposing my own shortcomings and in light of His lovingkindness, I am rejoicing in His grace and mercy for me as I turn all these hurts over to Him.
While the wisdom of some would be to try to be as good as you can be BEFORE coming to God; I dare say, from both experience and Biblical Truth, that we don’t need to clean up when we need a Saviour