THE UPPER ROOM ROOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL
The Upper Room Daily Devotional 21st March 2023, Tuesday Message. As you study today’s devotional, remember this; “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT)
Draw Near
Zach Schaar (Ohio, USA)
TODAY’S READING
James 4:1-10
KEY VERSE: Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. – James 4:8 (NRSV)
The Upper Room Daily Devotional 21st March 2023 MESSAGE
When I was a child, I noticed that my parents and family members embraced, praised, and sought after God only on major holidays or when hard times arose. We would go to church a couple of times each month, but there was a clear line between church life and home life; we rarely mixed the two.
As I got older, this practice didn’t make sense to me. How could we treat the God who gives us life with such disregard that we come to him only on holidays or when we’re in some kind of trouble?
As I have grown in my faith, I have learned an important lesson. The more time we give to God, the closer to God we become. God is worthy of all our attention, not just on certain days. The book of James says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” We don’t need to wait until something goes wrong to seek God’s presence. We can embrace God’s presence in the good times and bad. True peace comes to us when we commit to staying near to God and God’s way.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Lord, in a world of distractions, keep our eyes open to find the true peace and security that come from you. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
In both good and bad times I will draw close to God.
PRAYER FOCUS
For commitment to daily prayer
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More From Zach Schaar
The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. Read More