When I was 11, I was in Sears with my friend. It was around Christmas time, and we were in the Christmas section of the store. On the end of the aisle, there sat Santa. He saw me, and beckoned me to come and sit on his lap. He gestured to me to come. I ran and hid. Of course, I was older and it became more of a game. Santa spied me again, and held up a big peppermint stick and beckoned me to come. Again though, I hid.
In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve hid too. Only this time, they were hiding from God. God came after them and asked them what they had done. They knew they were in big trouble because they had eaten the fruit from the forbidden tree, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They outright disobeyed God and they knew that there were going to be consequences.
When I was 5, I was in awe of Santa. I thought there was only one Santa and I would receive presents depending upon if I were good in his eyes. I couldn't believe I was sitting on the lap of the man who lived in the North Pole and who could see me when I was sleeping and knew what I was doing when I was awake. I just could not believe that I was this close to Santa, this one of a kind person. Basically, I was worshiping him and treating him as if he were like God.
Could you imagine though, really sitting on God's lap? The Creator of the universe beckoning for you to come to Him, not with a peppermint stick but with the Cross of His Son, who died for us? That would truly be awesome!
But we are like Adam and Eve. We hide from God because we are sinners. The problem is, we love our sin and do not want to part with it. We know that if we get close to God, we will be letting go of those objects of our affections, whether they be relationships, food, pornography, black market shopping, manipulation, arrogance, promiscuity, bullying, family, friends, status, money, career, hobbies, hatred, vengeance, drugs, anger, reckless living, you name it. We have both good and bad things we love and are not willing to part with.
God wants to be the object of our primary affection. He wants us to love Him more than anything else we have, or anything else that we want. That is why He made us.
The Royal Law, or Great Commandment is to love the Lord your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is the key to obeying all the other commandments.
God does go after us and He beckons us to come to Him. Our natural reaction is to run away, because of our sin. He will not force us to respond to Him, but His desire is that we would turn to Him and trust in Him, not only for His blessings and provision, but also as the provider of the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
Santa is just a fictional character, based upon a true figure in History. Santa really doesn't have power to see everyone when they are sleeping. He doesn't know what you are doing when you are awake. He doesn't really know if you have been good or bad either. But God knows everything. God knows the bad things that all of us do. In fact, they are recorded in a book, and on Judgment Day, they will be brought out and dealt with, unless our records have been wiped clean.
Our records can be wiped clean. That is the good news. We do not have to be judged for our sins. God sent His Son to us 2,000 years ago, to take the punishment for our sins. He never sinned or did anything wrong. The Bible says, 'The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness'. If you want your sins cleansed, and you want a clean slate, turn to God, and repent of your sin. Trust in Jesus Christ, Who died to pay for your sins. God will not only forgive your sins, but He will give you a new heart with new desires. He will give you power to live a Godly life and to overcome sin. His Holy
Spirit will dwell in you. He will give you eyes to see Him with and you will begin to understand what the Bible says to you. He will give you ears to hear His voice, the only voice of truth. He will give you eternal life, a life with God in heaven that will never end. You will have a relationship with the true and living God, the Creator of the universe and the sustainer of life, and you will not have to hide anymore.
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| For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-He created all things. |
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in." Matthew 11:28 ESV
"All that the Father gives me shall come to me; and him who comes to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37
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