God sent Jesus so we could be cleansed of sin and God could come near us. The Lord can now lift us up to the glories of heaven as well, because Christ has made us ready for the eternal home.

A passage of Scripture should put your mind to rest concerning whether God has come to you and will eventually lift you up. Reading it can bring hope or hopelessness, but nonetheless, it can help you distinguish whether you will enjoy God's presence.

James 4:1-10, 1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (NIV)

I believe each of us should spend an ample amount of time in meditation of this passage. We should pray through these verses. We should honestly consider the message of God for us in this section of Scripture.

Do we think we are secure in having God's presence? Consider your prayer life. Are you being answered, receiving what you are praying for? Are you having victory over the temptations the Devil desires for you to fall by? Do you feel insecure in your salvation? Depending how you answered theses questions you need to get radical.

Notice the correlations:
Adulterous people = Friendship with the world.
Friendship with the world = hatred toward God.
Friendship with the world = enemy of God.

Now notice the positive correlations:
Humble, Submit, Resist, Wash, Purify, Grieve, Mourn, Wail, Change = God coming near to us and lifting us up.

What do you spend on your pleasures? The parables of Jesus (Matt. 24:45 – 25:46) reveal what a good servant is and what the reward will be. The good and faithful servant is watchful of the coming Lord. He is managing the talents and gifts he has been given to make a profit for the Coming Lord. The faithful servant is selflessly serving the King and not involving himself in the distractions of the world. In the end, the Lord calls his trusted servants: "Good and Faithful," and gives them entrance into His eternal presence. He will tell the faithful servant, "Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share in your master's happiness."

Yet, those who were distracted by the pleasures of this world, those who became dulled by the lapse of time before the Master's return, begin selfish endeavors. Some shirked their responsibility by becoming a drunk and beating the other servants. Others, were so dulled they forgot to be prepared for the long wait. Still another was lazy and didn't work for the profit of the King. And, many just didn't involve themselves in Kingdom service and didn't even know it. That's being Dull! Or, it could be said in our vernacular that's being DENSE! That density is due to a cluttered lifestyle. Cluttered by friendship with the world. Desiring life on earth to be pleasurable and fulfilling.

If you believe you can enjoy the pleasures of this world and be eternally content you are thinking from a desensitized perspective.

Resist the Devil, Humble yourself before God, and God will come near to you and lift you up at the proper time (1 Peter 5:6-9).

Solid Rock needs to move forward in the Service of our God. We should allow no personal lukewarmness (Rev. 3:16), no impotent prayers, and no half-hearted service. Instead, we should manage what Christ has given us. He has given us money, health, talents, time, and spiritual gifts to accomplish evangelism and growth of faith. To waste it is sin. God knows if any of us have been wicked, lazy and selfish servants.