Do you know how many cars are stolen in California, USA each year? Well in 2016, over 86 thousand were stolen which equates to about 10 per hour!
How many are made known to the public in real time? Virtually none. But in 1981, the police went to great lengths to inform the public that they needed to find the thief of a certain car – even going as far as getting radio coverage.
It wasn’t the value of the car, and the thief hadn’t murdered anyone? Why the special attention?
When you run, but shouldn’t…
Before we answer that, it would be good to imagine what you would be thinking if you were the thief. Trying your hardest to get away, thinking that the police were out to get you. Hiding.
But the reality was, the police were trying to save this thief. You see just before the car was stolen, the owner placed some crackers on the front seat. A tempting treat for the thief, but not intended for him.
The crackers were there for rats that had infested the owners house. He had laced them with a deadly poison that would kill the thief should he eat any. The owner told the police, triggering a fervent search for the thief…to save him.
We are often like that with God – we run, thinking He wants to hurt, punish or kill us – but the reality is He is pursuing us to save us – to forgive us.
Is it time you turned back to God? Is it time to give up and allow Him to forgive you? To hand ownership of ‘your’ life over to Him?
Seriously, if you don’t, you will eat the poisoned crackers and die. The Judgment of God can not be escaped.
It is an amazing to think that we believe we can hide from God…but ever since the first two humans, we have tried.
After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they hid from God as soon as they heard Him. A game of hide and seek with the Creator who can see everything and knows everything? Ridiculous!
What about Jonah, who didn’t want to do what God said, so thought He could sail away from the One who made the ocean!
We can’t escape God…
David made it clear:
I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
Psalms 139:7-8 (NLT)
Thankfully, though God is not a bad God. If He were we would be doomed as we can not hide nor escape from Him. And God is not ‘just’ a good God but is actually love!
But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:8 (NLT)
He wants the very best for us…and nothing can seperate us from His love.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)
Just like the police trying to catch a thief to save his life, God pursues us, not to condemn us but to forgive us. His very nature is to love and forgive, not to punish.
Eternity is a long ‘time’ to be wrong, suffer for your sin and be separated from the One who gave His Son to save you. Turn to Him now while you have breath and receive His love and forgiveness.
Conclusion: Running from God = death, but He STILL offers life
PRAYER: Lord, may we release that Your nature and essence is good – is love. May our hearts recognise that we are doomed without you – running from the only One who can give life and forgive. May we release that the crackers are poison!