Do you ever wish you could just pack a suitcase and leave all your problems and worries behind--that you could just get behind the wheel of the car and keep driving. To a city where no one knows you and you can just start over. Sadly, you must quickly return to reality and abandon your fantasy trip. Why? You realize that you would hurt many people, and that regret would set in. Our families count on us. We have jobs, bills, and obligations; and down deep, we know that running away is not the answer--rather it is a quick-fix solution. In this article, I want to share with you some of the things from which we cannot run away. No matter how hard we try, we can't do it.
We Cannot Run From God. Jonah tried this route. We know what happened--after three days in the belly of a great fish (Jonah 1:10-16). Does any person really believe it's possible to hide any of life's actions from God? "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." [Hebrews 4:13} God knows and sees everything! Usually, when we try to hide what we are doing, we're eventually found out. We might try to convince ourselves that God is unaware of our conduct, but in truth, he always knows.
We Cannot Run From Ourselves. Conscience keeps most people from making this mistake. When your heart is cultivated in truth, and you go against it, you feel remorse, shame, and regret. How does one go about living a double life, professing to be one thing before the brethren, and living a completely different lifestyle away from them. Such a life will have you constantly looking over your shoulder to make sure no one sees what you are doing. Can we be truly happy while knowing we are not living up to our commitments to God? Sooner or later we have to deal with ourselves. In this life, things very quickly catch up to us. Reality teaches us to find a sense of true peace and contentment by being honest with ourselves.
We Cannot Run From Death and Judgment. In this life, we may miss many appointments, but death and judgment will not be among them! "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." {Hebrews 9:27} In Paul's sermon from Mars Hills, he made the same point. "Because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."{Acts 17:31} No one will live on earth forever. As the years roll by, health problems begin to rack havoc on our bodies, and reality sets in. Just look in your newspaper at the different ages of those who have died--death does not respect persons or age!
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." {2 Corinthians 5:10} In this final accounting, every one of life's deeds will be brought to light--nothing will be missed. Why? God's all-seeing eye keeps track! I might fool others into believing I am a faithful Christian; but judgment will reveal the truth!
Since we know we cannot escape these things, what ought we to do? Knowing should help us to be more serious and sober about the types of lives we live before God. What about you friend--what are you trying to run from?