Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. (James 4:8)
The more you love God, the closer you want to be. Our lives in Christ are a journey. Some grow closer and closer to Jesus, some grow in fits and starts. Before we were saved we lived in inky darkness. Then the light came and we by faith we’re saved. Picture a circular target with a bullseye surrounded by that inky darkness. There are 5 rings with Jesus representing the inner “eye” of the bullseye. The first, the outer ring of the bullseye has a value of 500, representing the 500 that were saved in 1 Corinthians 15:6. This ring represents the large number of souls that are saved. The next ring toward the bullseye, has a value of 70, representing the seventy that Jesus sent out in pairs to tell the Kingdom of God is nigh. The 70 are those who work at service bearing fruit so are closer to Jesus. The 3rd ring has a value of 12, representing the disciples, or those who have been sanctified by Him and have a closer fellowship with Jesus. The 4th ring has a value of 3, representing Peter, John and James who saw him transfigured. These represent those who are close to Jesus, his favorites whom he trusts with hidden things. The inner ring has a value of 1, representing John, the disciple whom He loved. This represents a one on one relationship of trust and fullness. Jesus wants you to be close. His purpose is to restore the intimate fellowship that was lost in the Garden. John gave up all other loves for the love of Jesus. Are we willing to give up every other love to get there?