Running from God

The book of Jonah describes how Jonah ran away from God. But wait a moment, isn't God everywhere? How then can you run away from God?

While it is impossible to run away from God physically, our hearts often run away from Him. That is one reason why Jesus quoted Isaiah in Matthew 15:8 by declaring, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Terry Virgo states, "When you're determined to go your own way, not only do you turn your back on the revealed will of God, you also become vulnerable to putting significance in coincidences."

We might be God's heirs, and we might have experienced the healing power of His grace and the hope of salvation that Jesus gave to us. But, that does not mean that we are always doing the will of God.

Unfortunately, there are times when we are not simply stuck in the mire of flesh. There are, sadly, times when we are walking right with God, but then we just simply don't like what He has to say. This was instance that Jonah found himself in.

There are moments where God challenges us. He asks us to move in ways that are not comfortable for us, so that we might grow and experience the power of his grace and blessings. God's will will be done; God will bless those He has chosen to bless. When God challenges us with something that is difficult to accept, we have the choice to participate in His blessing or to risk that blessing being passed on to someone else. Is running from God worth the risk?

Living Life

I Will Never Leave You

God is with us at every single moment. God is with us in this life. He will be with us in the next life, and God is with us through that transition, often referred to as death. Everyone you know will die, and some will die before you. This is a hard realization.

So comfort people when death occurs. God never glossed over death, and He knows how painful it is for us. God weeps with us. Shortly before Jesus went to His own death on the cross, He raised a dear friend from the dead. But God did not approach the family with, "Good news! You'll see him again one day. I'll just raise him from the dead." Instead, Jesus realized the condition of their hearts, and "Jesus wept" (John 11:35).

Grieving is a process, and we are not meant to grieve forever. Grieving is absolutely necessary, but so is restoration. When death strikes, mourn and weep bitterly. Don't forget that God is right there with you, weeping has lost its power, and one day, death itself will be cast into the lake of fire. You should not expect to see deceased loved ones again in this life, but you should realize that you have One who will never depart from you.

Henry Law writes: "You will find that while a friend on earth is gone, your Friend in heaven cannot die. You will realize the sweetness of the truth: '[Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you]' - Heb. 13:5, "So when you can, rest in the truth of God's eternal through-thick-or-thin presence.

Living Life

When We Don't Know Where We Are

God is with us, even when we don't know where we are. Life comes at us from many different angles, and some Christians seem to think that life should somehow be easier once Jesus is in our lives. While it is true to a certain extent-because God is the omnipotent source of our strength-we still have to come to Him and have a relationship with Him.

Life is complicated, however. It is easy to assume that people are either with God or against Him. They are either sinning, or they are worshipping Him. But there are other types of people too. There are people who are nothing short of lost.

God is with us in all the storms of life. Even when we don't see the point of life anymore, God has a plan. Yet in the midst of trials, we can lose sight of this. So it is all the more important to remember that God is greater  than our hearts, emotions, and circumstances, and He is present with us in each.

James Meikle writes: "Be always under the impression of God's omnipresence and omniscience. You can never wander out of the hollow of his hand or swim beyond his cognizance...Beware that you live not to yourself, the world, or for time. But live above the world, for eternity, and to God."

Struggles are a part of life, but walking with God makes a difference. At no point should we ever give up on life, because we were created first and foremost to live!

Living Life