James 4:8, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded.”
Magnets are a nifty invention. They work great when you want to hold something in place on a metal object, for instance, a refrigerator. A place where all your child’s artwork or even a quick note reminding you about something ends up. Our classroom uses whiteboards instead of chalkboards and I use magnets to hold things in place for the kids to see. Magnets are great when you want to pick up other small metal objects like nails, screws, and needles… in fact, magnets big or small help in many things we use daily, or even things around us.
If you want to entertain children get a couple of magnets and show them what they can do. We had some linking toys for our children for some time when they were young. They were made of many small plastic sticks with magnets on both ends and many small metal balls. You could build a lot of things with the sticks and balls, or you could make the ends of the sticks stay together. My children and even we adults had a lot of fun with them.
Let’s talk a little about science for a moment. No, I’m not going to get all technical with you because I’d get lost. But what is one thing you notice when you put two magnets together properly aligned with each other? They immediately pull together, yes? They are attracted to each other and stick together. This is why you can use magnets to pick up metal objects.
Now, say you flip one magnet around or turn it over. Suddenly you can feel the push of the magnets repelling each other away from themselves. It was fun turning the opposite magnetic ends of the sticks as we watched them push apart.
One more cool thing I learned about a magnet and what it can do is that if you take a magnet and hold it over sand, (like in a sandbox). You will begin to see tiny particles (the iron in the sand) start moving toward the magnet. As they are pulled to the magnet they begin to clump together.
So, what are some things that we learn from magnets?
To begin with, we are God’s creation in His likeness. Every one of us has a longing for God, whether we acknowledge it or not. All of us at one time or another have called out to God in a time of need.
Jesus spoke in John 12:32, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” Jesus in essence, is like a magnet. When properly aligned with Him, people are drawn to Him. Obviously, the magnet had to be close to the sand to pull the particles to it, but the closer it is, the stronger the pull. So, it is as Christians. The closer we come to Jesus, the stronger our desire to be closer to Him becomes, and Jesus will continue to draw us closer to Him.
But, when we begin to distance ourselves from Jesus, He will have a harder time taking hold of us. Let’s look at what I just said again. When we pull away, God never stops reaching out for us. He never gives up – Romans 8:38-39. We have to choose to stay aligned with Jesus and not this world.
Now, what if someone said, “I’m fine with Jesus as long as He doesn’t interfere with me being the leader of my own life and having the final say.”
Matthew 6:24 tells us, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
Choosing to follow the world, choosing to do it your way, falling into patterns of the world. These things will knock your alignment off with Jesus and like a magnet, what will happen? We will be pushed away, repelled, and separated from Jesus – Isaiah 59:2.
When we separate ourselves from God, we open a door that allows satan in. We can’t straddle the fence between the world and serving God. We can’t choose to allow God in some days, and other days have it our own way. Jesus’ words are true, we will ultimately love one and hate the other, and human nature will pull us more and more away from God. We will only grow closer to Him when we use our connection with Him.
God wants us, more than anything, to be close to Him. He sent His son to die in our place, for our sins, just so we could draw closer to Him. God acts through His grace, and it is there for us before we even realize His presence or call. Like a magnet He is reaching down to us to draw us closer to Him- Jeremiah 31:3. All we need to do is stay aligned with Him and let the magnetic pull of His love do the rest.
Aside from prayer, one of the best ways to connect with God and grow toward Him is through Bible study. It is in the pages of the Bible we can learn who Jesus is, know what He has done and is doing for us, gain strength and hope, and find blessings. Even just a few more minutes of your day in scripture can enhance your walk with our Lord and Savior.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on ConnectWithGodDaily
Featured Image by Squared.one on Unsplash
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