Pastor’s Corner: “On The Run From God?”
James 4:7 (NKJV) – Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Are you running from God? Maybe you were raised in a Christian home, and you’re running from that. You’re saying, “I don’t want these values. I don’t want to live this way. I want to live my way. My family doesn’t know what they’re talking about.” And off you go.
How’s that working out for you? God will give us the freedom to make our own choices. And He will allow us to experience the repercussions of those choices. Jonah’s disobedience also threatened the lives of everyone on the boat to Tarshish. When you run away from God, innocent people, including those you care about, can get hurt. Maybe it’s your spouse, your kids, your grand kids, or your friends. Sometimes it’s people you don’t even know. People can get hurt because of your disobedience.
Jonah shows that when you run from God, your life starts a downward trajectory. Your disobedience will cost you financially, physically, and relationally. Jonah found out that it was a really bad idea to run from God. The others on the ship called out to their gods, and ultimately Jonah called out to his God.
Lots of Christians live life like Jonah: on the run from God. These folks know the truth… they know what God wants them to do… but they don’t want to do it. They resist and reject God’s agenda and plan for their own agenda and plan. They go their own way instead of His way because they think their way is better and will bring them happiness and satisfaction. Listen, anytime you find yourself on the run from God and His will for your life, you are running from satisfaction not to satisfaction.
Galatians 5:7 (NLT) – You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? Discouraging things can happen when you follow Jesus. Life doesn’t always go the way you hoped it would go. Tragedies happen, people let you down. You ask questions that go unanswered, and sometimes you wonder if you can keep going.
Would you rather have a nice easy flight and a crash landing, or a bumpy flight and a safe landing? For nonbelievers, life on Earth is as good as it will get. That’s it. If Jesus Christ isn’t a part of their lives, it will get a lot worse. But for the Christian, life on Earth is as bad as it ever will be, because the best is yet to come.
When Jesus told the disciples to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, a terrible storm hit. But they did make it to the other side. Some people in life seem to have no suffering at all. Then there are others who seem to have more than their share of suffering. Why is this? I don’t know. But I do know this: There is more than life on Earth. THERE IS ETERNITY!
As Christians, ultimately we will live happily ever after. But there might be some rough seas along the way. God loves you. His plans for you are better than your plans for yourself. So, don’t run from Him. Run to Him!
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton