Proximity: Our Pursuit of a Closer Relationship with God

By Rick Spelce

What's your distance to God? • Does the daily grind and distractions in your world have you on a floating raft drifting too far from the shore without you even realizing it? • Perhaps you have found yourself in a spiritual desert, knowing that you are miles and miles away and needing a compass in order to find fertile ground. • Or maybe you're a maturing disciple who is looking to maintain that spiritual edge in your life. For centuries, mankind has been on a quest to draw closer to God, trying every kind of means and method available to move toward him. Proximity turns our attention to the practical applications we all experience on a daily and hourly basis, when the struggle is real and where the disconnect often occurs. God pursues us, yet he is the constant, the one who remains stationary. It is up to us to cover this distance and fully experience the love, peace, and comfort God provides when we are right by his side. Are you ready to move in closer proximity to him?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781635751611

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Proximity

Our Pursuit of a Closer Relationship with God

Rick Spelce

ISBN 978-1-63575-160-4 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63575-161-1 (Digital)

Copyright © 2017 by Rick Spelce

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

296 Chestnut Street

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Make Me a Storm Written by Aaron Sain

Printed in the United States of America

There is only one kind of a life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere. Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters.

—John Wooden

To my sister, Sherri, who tenaciously pushed me

to a closer proximity to God during my formative years.

Acknowledgments

This project has blessed me more than I ever would’ve hoped for. I’ve often wondered if literary ventures end up benefitting the authors even more than it does for the readers. Now having been through this process personally, I would certainly concur with this notion.

This manuscript would be accumulating dust on a shelf if it weren’t for the valuable input of my wife, Vicki Spelce, and my parents, Garlon and Ginny Spelce. I also want to acknowledge others who contributed, knowingly or unknowingly, to the concepts presented in this book. A big thank-you to Dr. Bill Keele, Kevin Crum, Robert and Becki Connel, Randy and Jennifer Gray, Mike Baker, Larry West, James Walters, Bailey McBride, Salvador Cariaga, and Thomas Johnson.

I am also extremely grateful for those who read, proofread, and reviewed the ramblings in these pages. A special thanks to Vicki Spelce, Camellia Jackson, David Scott, Norma Reynolds, Craig Minkner, and Robert Shock. Their valuable feedback was a welcome necessity through-out this process.

Lastly, I want to thank the crew at Christian Faith Publishing for their amazing job in transforming this labor of love into something incredible. Thank you for believing in Proximity.

Introduction

What’s your distance?

I stood in line, watching his eyes as he gazed at her with a smug look, his actions slow and deliberate. He waited for the cue of her raised eyebrows, a nonverbal reprimand prompting him to take a step backward. He kept inching back as the tension grew thick between them.

Unable to leave her place in line, she was now at bated breath, barking muted orders at him with a more forceful tone. Unaffected, he took three more steps away, oblivious to the impending danger behind him.

This messy-haired four-year old boy with a rash of freckles was pushing the edge of the envelope, determined to test the boundaries of his mother’s tolerance level. The holiday shopping lines were long, so with little else to do, I was curious to see who would win this war of attrition. This frazzled woman in her midtwenties looked as if she’d reached her limit with her son hours earlier, yet he continued to work on her patience level as he took two more steps back, now pretending not to see her.

The boy was now more than twenty feet away from home base. Five more feet would send him tumbling backward down the escalator. Would he come to his senses and run back to his mother’s side? No chance of that now. Like the boldness of an energetic puppy, he kept maneuvering within inches of the motorized steel grate. Before I could even break out of line to assist, his feet hit the automated steps as he squealed in panic, tipping back out of balance.

Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed the boy’s shoulder and corralled him in. The crashing display beside the escalator revealed a young Macy’s employee in full extension over the protective railing like a superhero in flight.

In this scene, the boy was so consumed with his own environment he had no idea of the dangers he faced.

Is your spiritual life like this? Have you moved in to treacherous territory far away from God’s presence without even realizing it? How many steps away are you? And what are the sources of your distraction?

Archived Internet information from the Office of Research and Consumer Guide in 1994 showed the average person watched 23.5 hours of television per week. More current research would reveal a steady percentage increase over the past two decades, with the invention of DVR and other media products. It is much more than just TV viewing. Our diversions are like the empire’s tractor beam that locks in on us and drags us in.

What is this tendency we have that causes us to be so consumed with our own environment, like the four-year old boy? It is the same tendency that makes professional athletes believe that a $65 million contract is not enough money. It causes a married man to commit adultery, or makes someone want revenge simply because life is not fair. It lets a man be jealous of his friend’s new house or car, or convinces a woman to believe too much of a good thing is actually good for her. It allows us to be angry and out of control. It tells us not to get up from the sofa and help with the housework, or makes us too stubborn to forgive.

Of the seven deadly sins I just listed, this particular tendency is the root cause of all of them. It is the single most powerful trait we have, and it produces the worst possible results. Simply put, it is selfishness. What a problematic concept to work through! At an early age, our parents train us to be self-sufficient and independent. We are taught to think and solve problems on our own, and to be self-reliant in society. We are expected to become responsible and disciplined adults.

However, there is another side. Today’s catch phrase demands that we look out for number one. The world tells us we can have anything our hearts desire. Paradise, as advertising reminds us, is being pampered from head to toe and having all we want within reach. In view of the fact that we are so inundated with a world that caters, we have become numb to the point where it’s increasingly difficult to tell the difference between self-sufficiency and self-indulgence. Even New Thought spiritualists in metaphysical churches today focus purely on self-fulfillment and controlling their own destiny through the power of the mind—a principle never endorsed by biblical doctrine.

The line between what we want and what we need becomes fuzzy at an early age. When my son was eleven years old, he thought he was the center of the universe. He wanted everything in sight, saying he needed it. On occasion, I would call him out on his selfish attitude and say, Son, do you think the world revolves around you? He would glare at me and raise his eyebrows with a look saying, Daddy, you didn’t know?

Given the many baits available, we can presume that the lure of selfishness is the most effective enticement Satan uses to trap us. He even utilized it in the very beginning, from the first recorded moment in the Bible when he spoke to Eve. Regarding the fruit from the tree in the center of the garden, the crafty serpent said, God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil (Genesis 3:5, NLT).

It must have been the combination of Satan’s deception and Eve’s discontentment and selfish desire to be all knowing like God that caused her to transgress. For more research and study on Satan’s power, on spiritual battles in this world, and on the struggles within us, I recommend Seeing The Unseen: Preparing Yourself for Spiritual Warfare, a book by Joe Beam (Howard Books, copyright 2000, Simon and Schuster, Inc.).

In his teachings, Jesus tells us if we will remain in him, then he will remain in us (John 15:4). So how may we prevent the selfish tendencies from creeping unnoticed into our lives and weakening our faithful Christian walk? And what can we do to protect ourselves from the apathy that so easily diminishes the fruitful energy Christ longs so much for us to have?

The more I thought about this, the more concerned I became regarding my own proximity to God. Was I remaining in Christ sufficiently in faith in order for him to continue to dwell in me? How far away was I? Surely, some of my sinful choices and temptations I’ve given in to have had a negative influence on my life, compromising my position. So I launched a personal quest to keep the spiritual edge, so to speak; to avoid Satan’s harmful pitfall of selfishness and steer the other way.

One day, I e-mailed my wife to solicit her help in finding ten or so items to assist in removing the selfishness from our lives so we can develop a closer relationship with God. After combining overlapping ideas, we settled on eight initiatives, which form the chapters of this book. I pray that this body of work will be a solid compliment to Joe Beam’s book and keep us all moving in the proper direction: toward our Lord and Savior and far away from Satan’s control.

There was a church-building marquee that read, Faith is a journey, not a destination. Let’s reveal a more accurate label for what faith is: a state of mind and being to guide us on the journey toward our eternal destination.

Are you asking yourself, Am I closer to God today than I was yesterday? Am I living each day to glorify and serve him? As we assess our lives, we’ll discover many opportunities to move away from the motorized escalator steps and closer to our Lord. He is in our midst, longing for us to be near him and experience his peace and love.

Articles of Faith

I have always subscribed to the notion that writing does not have to be complex to be profound. But as my own worst critic, you won’t find Max Lucado here. Perhaps on some meaningful level, you will discover that the message I share is intended for you, whatever you feel your current distance to God is.

The subject matter in this book is straightforward and fully supported by biblical text, with much diligence given to maintain the appropriate context for each scriptural application. Although it does not pursue a commentarial or academic approach, you will find a plethora of scripture verses, all of which are taken at face value and are employed to edify, encourage, and confirm God’s Word. In addition, I encourage you to have a Bible handy to refer to and research in where appropriate.

With that said, let’s introduce a statement of belief for the purpose of this exploration: We trust the Bible as the groundwork of our faith and the instruction book to our lives. Our Lord’s Word is sound and fundamental, placing Christ as full authority and head of his church, as described in the twenty-seven New Testament books, which were received by the churches in the late first century. It is complete and everlasting (Isaiah 40:8), a universal message of truth giving hope and eternal life to all who read, believe, and obey it—from those who’ve reached the age of accountability to any age thereafter. Before reading on, are you willing to embrace this statement as your own?

If you are not a Christian, I encourage you to take a closer look at the Bible scriptures in the upcoming chapters describing the immeasurable joy and wonderful comfort of possessing the gift of eternal life. The Gospel is the good news of Jesus, referring to his death, burial, and resurrection, which were done for our redemption to release us from the stronghold of sin (1 Corinthians 15:2–4).

One obtains salvation by repenting of a sinful lifestyle (Luke 13:3, Acts 17:30), confessing before men that Jesus is the Son of God (Romans 10:10), and being baptized (immersed) for the forgiveness and redemption of sins (Romans 6:3; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27; and Acts 2:38) to live a righteous life in him.

Spiritual maturity is all about meeting God where you are and then taking it to the next level. I invite you to look deep within yourself and take this voyage with me as we strive to do his will, not ours. I also pray that the ideas presented will prompt you to eliminate some