Good things as well as bad, you know, are caught by a kind of infection. If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them. They are not a sort of prize which God could, if He chose, just hand out to anyone. They are a great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very center of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you: if you are not, you will remain dry. Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever? –C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 1952
This might not be exactly how it works, but this is an illustration and is not meant to be a comprehensive theological explanation. More needs to be said, but Lewis is not wrong in saying this much. The Bible also describes the need to stay close to God and the danger of being far away, as in the verses below.
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John 15:5 — (Jesus said), “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Mark 7:6 — (Jesus) replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.'”
Zechariah 1:3 — “Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you.’”
Jeremiah 24:7 — I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.
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JUST A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE
Traditional Folk Song, author unknown
I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
Refrain
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
Refrain
When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.
Refrain
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To hear the Oak Ridge Boys sing Just a Closer Walk With Thee go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AKjv3ZRrxE&list=PL532EA1CEE15F4638