MacArthur - Drawing Near

DRAWING NEAR

Drawing Near.

Copyright 1993 by John F. MacArthur, Jr.

Published by Crossway Books
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law.

Cover photo: Dick Dietrich

Case design: Jennifer Kok

Art Direction / Design: Mark Schramm

First printing, 1993

First trade paperback edition, 2002

Printed in the United States of America

All Scripture quotations in this book, except those noted otherwise, are from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1977 by The Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
MacArthur, John, 1939
Drawing near / John F. MacArthur, Jr..
p. cm.
1. Devotional calendars. 2. Christian life1960-I. Title.
ISBN 13: 978-1-58134-413-4
ISBN 10: 1-58134-413-9
BV4811.M23 1993 242'.2dc20 93-5469

VP 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9

To Dick Mayhue
his friendship, loyalty, and ongoing leadership of
The Masters Seminary have been a tool of the Lord
to do exceeding abundantly above
all I could ask or think

Contents

Throughout the years of my ministry, I cant me about Bible study. How to do it, when to do it, and why to do it are a few of the basic questions. While those are important, you cant get past the simple fact that you must do it. Your life as a Christian depends on it.

Real growth in your spiritual life takes place only by daily exposure to Gods Word. The Apostle Peter put it this way: Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation (1 Peter 2:2). I find that the longer, the more intensely, and the more devotedly I look into the glory of Jesus Christ through the pages of Scripture, the more the Spirit of God changes my life into the image of Christ. But there are no shortcuts. If you and I are to grow, to mature, and to finally be transformed, we must feed on the Word!

Unfortunately, our entertainment-conscious, quick-fix, fast-food society does everything it can to divert us from setting aside time to study Gods Word. As you well know from your own efforts, Bible study is not often entertainingits hard work. It takes discipline to set aside time each day to reap the benefits such study has to offer.

If you reach an impasse when its time to sit down, open your Bible, and try to decide what to do, youre not alone. Without some plan to follow, its easy to become frustrated and eventually give up after only one or two days. Thats where this book comes in.

For many years Ive had the desire to produce a book that could be used as a daily devotional guide, yet offer significantly more than the typical thematic or topical anecdotes that make up the majority of devotionals. It would also need to reflect what I am committed to: an in-depth approach to Bible exposition. And this book does just that, drawing from the main passages I have taught over the years.

This devotional is designed to be used 365 days a year. Each month will lead you through an entire chapter or portion of Scripture, usually a verse or two at a time each day. By the time you have spent a year studying this material, you will have gained a firm grasp of many of the great texts of the Bible.

But this is not simply an intellectual exercise. The real benefit of studying Gods Word is the practical applications you draw from it. So while you are studying verse by verse through a passage, youll find that each day stands on its own and makes direct application to your life.

To achieve these benefits, you need to be willing to make the sacrifice necessary to be what God wants you to be. Ive always believed that the first step in becoming self-disciplined is to start small. Setting an attainable goal allows you to accomplish one thing, however small, and encourages you to forge ahead to greater things. Thus as you begin your study, have limited goals. Each days plan is short enough to allow you to read the Scripture passage and lesson, and take time to pray.

The first few days and weeks are critical as you begin to cultivate the daily habit of Bible study. As you become more consistent, youll want to expand your time to include the suggestions for further study. Youll probably find yourself discovering other related passages to pursue. Dont let the format restrict youfollow the Lords prompting.

As you use this book daily, you will learn how to approach Scripture on your own, developing the study skills you need to open up the Bible and discover its rich and marvelous truths for yourself. Such repeated exposure to Gods Word trains you to think Biblically, and thats what ultimately makes a difference in your spiritual life. The added Bible reading schedule will take you through the entire Bible in a years time.

It is my prayer that you will be one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer (James 1:25). May this devotional be a wonderful encouragement in that pursuit!

THE MEASURE OF TRUE SUCCESS

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints
who are at Ephesus, and who are faithful in Christ Jesus
(Eph. 1:1).

God is more interested in your faithfulness than
He is in your accomplishments.

Our society is success-oriented. We love success stories. We even have television programs that exalt the lifestyles of the rich and famous. But Gods standard for success is quite different. Unimpressed by our status or wealth, He looks instead for faithfulness to His will.

Paul understood that principle and diligently pursued his calling as an apostleone of those unique men who were foundational to the church and who were recipients, teachers, and writers of the New Testament.

That was a high calling, and yet, judging from Pauls lifestyle, most people would hardly call him successfulhaving suffered imprisonments, beatings, death threats, shipwrecks, robberies, hatred from his theological enemies, sleepless nights, hunger, thirst, and exposure to the elements (2 Cor. 11:23-27). But none of those things deterred him from obeying Gods will. His final testimony was, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith (2 Tim. 4:7). Thats true success!

Although were not apostles, were to follow Pauls example of faithfulness (1 Cor. 11:1). Thats possible because, like the Ephesian believers, we are saints [holy ones]... who are faithful in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:1). By Gods grace weve trusted in Christ as our Lord and Savior (Eph. 2:8-9) and have received His righteousness (Phil. 3:9) and His Spirit (Eph. 3:16) and every spiritual resource necessary for faithful, victorious Christian living (Eph. 1:3).

What remains is to cultivate greater love for Christ and more consistent obedience to His Word. Those are the hallmarks of a true disciple and Gods measure of success. Make it your goal that your life today warrants the Lords commendation: Well done, good and faithful [servant] (Matt. 25:21).