Running from God not only puts you in danger, but also everyone around you. Jonah is a prime example. He was not only a danger to himself but to everyone on the ship. Backsliders can not only destroy themselves but can also bring others down with them along the way.

Sin does not just affect the person, it also hurts those around them. So many people think their situations and actions are only hurting them. Wrong. Just ask the children of the couple who got a divorce because one of the parents said they didn’t love the other anymore. Sin hurts everyone around us and those who loves us.

 

Perhaps the saddest thing about running from God is that it grieves His heart. Believe it or not, God can be grieved. It hurts Him to see His children for whom He bled and died, whose sins He forgave, and turning away from Him down the slippery slope of disobedience.

 

If you are running from God as Jonah did, take time to review what you are doing and seek God to ask Him for forgiveness and to help you turn your life around so you are running towards Him.  Also, seek forgiveness from those you may have hurt and watch God do a work in your life that you never thought possible!

 

~Pastor Lyn