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Do you feel far from God today? We all go through times when we feel far from God. Why does that happen? First of all, we need to ask ourselves if it was us or if it was God who moved away. We will always discover that if one of us moved, it is us who moved away because of our sin. We choose to sin instead of trust God. A.W. Tozer once wrote that every person is as close to God as he or she wants to be. We too often choose to put other things ahead of God. If we really want a closer relationship with God, we will seek after Him. And Matthew 7:7-8 tells us that if we truly seek after God, we will find Him.

Secondly, if we feel distant from God, it is possible that we are mistaking His presence for comfort. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that God isn’t with us or that He has even abandoned us during difficult times. The truth is that God allows trials into our life to help us to mature into Christlikeness (James 1:2-4). So perhaps He is testing you to see if you will continue to trust Him and continue to rely on Him, even when you don’t feel His presence.

RCF is here to remind you of God’s presence, and to help you keep Jesus first in your life. I hope you’ll join us this week as we pray, study God’s Word, worship, and fellowship together. And if you would simply like to talk to someone about growing closer to God, contact us. We’re here to help!

As each day of the semester goes by, it is easy to focus only on yourself, and the schoolwork that you have, and the exams that you have coming up. This is when it is easiest to neglect those around you. But God gave us Christian community to encourage one another daily (Hebrews 3:13). And when we do get together, our conversation shouldn’t be mere surface-level small talk. We should be building up one another in the faith. Do you ever think about how your conversations with friends matter in eternity?

John Piper once said, “There are no meaningless moments in Christian community. Every conversation and every interaction counts for eternity. We are either weakening people’s affections for God, or strengthening them.” We weaken others by pointing them to temporal things, making much of things that will pass. We strengthen them by pointing to Christ. That is why I take a few moments to write this email every week. It’s more than just announcements. I want to inspire you to seek after Jesus and wholeheartedly follow Him daily. That is why we do prayer breakfasts and Bible studies, etc. It matters for eternity!

In his book titled Holiness, JC Ryle cautions us as Christians about the company that we keep and the friendships that we form. He writes, “Nothing perhaps affects man’s character more than the company he keeps. We catch the ways and tone of those we live and talk with, and unhappily get harm far more easily than good. Disease is infectious, but health is not.”

 

Are you being affected spiritually by your friends? Are they influencing you to sin or drift from God? Some will argue that we cannot avoid sinful people. Certainly you are around many bad influences not by choice (through school, work, dorms), but that is why it is more important to have Christian friends and spend intentional time with those who will help you grow closer to Jesus.

 

Some will also justify, noting that Jesus hung out with sinners. Yes, but (1) He did not go alone, but with the disciples. Even Jesus was not a lone ranger. (2) He spent the majority of the time with His disciples. If you have found your spiritual growth stunted lately, it could be partly due to the people whom you have surrounded yourself with. It is easier to be influenced away from God, so make it a point to surround yourself with Christians who are encouraging you to spend time in God’s Word, in prayer, sharing your faith, etc. This is why RCF is here. We hope to be able to encourage you this week!