Saturday, November 15, 2008

Our Choices Can Force us from the Lord's Presence

As i was reading yesterday, i noticed this concept in Genesis and in the gospels. It is nothing new, but maybe a new way to look at it.

God is omnipresent, but that doesn't mean we always experience the fullness of his presence. I was reading and saw that as Adam disobeyed, he was forced out of the Lord's presence in the garden, and that as Cain disobeyed he left the Lord's presence, and that as the rich man was given the standard of following Jesus, that he also walked away.

Genesis 3
So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man ou
Genesis 4
So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, [f] east of Eden
Matthew 19
21...go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

It seems that our sin and our choices play a significant role in how far we move into or away from God's presence.

I don't know exactly what the application of this observation is, all i know is that if taking me away from the Lord's presence is what sin and disobedience does, i definitely desire to avoid that at all costs more than ever.

Lord teach me how choose obedience in my desire to dive deeper into your presence and to see your kingdom prevail in my life and the people around me. Amen.

2 comments:

Amber Janelle Livermore said...

Brent,

This is a solid observation. It's a stark reality when we start to grasp what our sin really does, isn't it? I've been pondering this a lot lately... about viewing Christianity how God views it--all about the communion of God with us. It makes sin so much more disgusting when I realize it is walking away from that communion, not just breaking some rule or standard. Anyway, I appreciate your thoughts. :) I'm loving your updates on New Zealand and life.

B said...

yeah, it was eye opening for me too. it made me stop back and make sure i wasn't naturally doing this too myself and God!