Magnets

Magnets

I was reminded today of that amazingly wonderful game that we all got in our stockings when we were little. You know, the one with a man's bald head staring at you, with a pile of magnetic shavings at the bottom. You were given a little pencil like object with a magnet on the end. You could use it to pick up a pile of shavings and move it to a place on the head that was bald and redecorate it any way you wanted. It was endless fun as a kid, especially when it was the only game you were allowed to play with in church. It kept us quiet I guess.

There also was another magnetic game that caused little kids to think that you were doing magic. There would be 2 little dogs with magnets on the ends. You would put one dog on top of a piece of paper, and the other on the bottom. They would align up together and you could move one dog anywhere you wanted simply by controlling it with the other. Awesome fun, especially when you were 5 years old.

A question that was posed today really had me thinking about these 2 games. "How does knowing God's characteristics affect your choices, thoughts, prayers, and feelings?" I found myself staring dumbly at my teacher, really wanting to express what I felt, but not being able to find the right words to do it justice. It was at that moment that I felt the Holy Spirit start forming an idea and an answer in my head. It has everything to do with those wonderful childhood games.

I began viewing my life as a single piece of magnet and my choices, thoughts, prayers, and feelings as little shavings all scattered around me. Off in the distance I see this larger magnet. As I learn more and more about what this larger magnet is all about, I find myself moving closer and closer to it. There is a pull that is undeniable coming from it that attracts me. I finally become so close that I realize I am in perfect alignment with it. As soon as I am attached to it, I have this magnetic power flowing through me, and all my little shavings come into alignment too.

James 4:8 Come near to God and He will come near to you.

This verse is awesome for me to realize that God is that big magnet in my life. As I began to pick this verse apart, I realized that this is exactly how it is. The phrase "come near" in the original language is eggizo, which means "to join one thing to another". Perfect…what more could I want? But then I dug even further and realized that in the original language, this verse "expresses a command to the hearer to perform a certain action by the order and authority of the one commanding. It was not intended as an invitation but as an absolute command, requiring full obedience on the part of all hearers." Wow! So we are not being invited to draw near to God…we are being commanded!

Why would this be a command? Why would it be so important that we be commanded instead of just invited? It goes right along with "Repent ye sinners", not an invitation but a command. I began to look at my life again, and realized that I for sure felt the pull of the "big magnet" in my life, without doubt, but if I was completely honest, I did not feel just one pull, but two. God knows this too. He knows that He is not the only magnet out there. He knows that the other magnets also try to pull you in. I think that this is why He commanded us to draw near to Him. There is danger near and He wants us to realize that a simple invitation will not do.

As you take inventory of your life, what magnet is attracting you? Is God the "Big" one, or do you find yourself attached to something else that controls you?

There is one other dimension of magnets that had me thinking. I remember the thrill of watching them match up, an attraction that you couldn't break. But I also remember turning one magnet over and trying to make them connect. You couldn't. You see, if both positive sides of the magnet are facing each other, there is a repulsion rather than an attraction. This made me think about the state of my heart as I approached God. God is the positive, He is unchanging and unwavering and He will always be right. I on the other hand have a very prideful heart, one where I think that I am bigger and better than who I ever actually will be. I am a positive right now too. This is a disastrous place to be. It is here that I find myself trying to draw near, but never being able to align with who God is.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.

To me, this verse teaches us to become a negative. If God is the positive and He is unchanging, then we must be the ones to change. We must be the ones to humble our hearts before we approach His Throne. If we refuse to let go of that positive charge, we will still be attracted to other magnets….only those with a negative charge though. Are you willing to risk being aligned with evil? Is that who you are choosing?

As long as we will be willing to change, God is the only magnet that we can be aligned with.

Which magnet do you want to be attached
to?