Skip to main content

You Really Don't Want To Be There


Where?

Maybe it’s the dentist’s chair or the Emergency Room or the Principal’s office.  You may not want to be there!

Or maybe it’s the places we tend to avoid, the places where illicit or illegal activities take place. You probably just don’t want to be there!

There are two places you actually really don’t want to be.  One is hiding from and the other is away from.

Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden.  Then they sinned.  They became afraid and ashamed and hid from God (Gen 3:8).  Hiding from God is almost always a result of sin and the accompanying feelings of fear or guilt or shame.  You really don’t want to be there!

Cain and Abel were Adam and Eve’s sons.  Cain was jealous of Abel and killed him.   After Cain killed his brother, the Lord detailed Cain’s punishment.  Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord (Gen 4:16).  Going away from the presence of God is almost always a result of sin and the accompanying feelings of fear or guilt or shame.  You really don’t want to be there!

When we believe in and receive His son, we have access to His presence.  He also takes away our sin and deals with our feelings of fear or guilt or shame.  We then no longer have to hide from God and we no longer have to be away from His presence.

In fact, we are, as His children, forever in His presence and His presence is forever with us.  That’s where you really want to be!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Can't Get No Satisfaction

One of the songs that were popular in my youth was not particularly upbeat or helpful but it probably did express some of the angst of my generation.  It was not one that particularly resonated with me but as I recently read the book of Haggai, it did come to mind, well, at least some of the lyrics did.  It was the Rolling Stones song with the lyrics “I can’t get no satisfaction”.  Take a look at the chorus of that bleak song:   I can't get no satisfaction; I can't get no satisfaction; Gonna try and I try and I try and I try; I can't get no - I can't get no –   Now take a look at Haggai 1:6 – “ You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” It sure sounds like the people of Judah couldn’t get any satisfaction with the things of life that normally should have brought some type of s...

A Horse Of Course

In Biblical times, horses represented military power and strength.  And if you had both horses and chariots, well, that was the ultimate of military powers and wars were often won with them. Yet in seeking to have what would normally be considered insurmountable military strength, there was one factor that was often overlooked.  The Psalmist made it clear what that factor was when he wrote:  “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”   (Ps 20:7) While Israel did at times trust in the name of the Lord, there were other times when they tried to trust in horses and chariots to win their battles.  This is what the Lord spoke to Israel through the prophet Isaiah:  “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,   who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots   and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord .”  ...

Stouthearted!

Steve the Stouthearted; it has a nice medieval ring to it, maybe even middle earth overtones.  I noticed that word “stouthearted” recently in Psalm 138, verse 3:   “When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.”   (NIV, 1973) The word stouthearted is used in the Bible to describe individuals who exhibit courage, determination, and resilience, often in the face of adversity or opposition. This characteristic is seen as a virtue, reflecting steadfastness in faith and purpose. The stouthearted are those who remain firm in their convictions and are not easily swayed by fear or doubt (from The Bible Hub website). And yet to be bold and stouthearted for most is not something that just comes naturally, we need the Lord to make us bold and stouthearted.   And, from the verse above, it appears that he does so in response to us calling on him.   So it probably wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that those who have been made bold and stouth...