Am I running away from God?

“Over and over, like the Israelites, who went round and round and round in circles trying to find satisfaction in everything but me (God). Occasionally, there have been people who have forsaken everything to follow and obey me. What I am looking for are an entire people who will forsake all of the world’s trappings and entanglements to follow me. I am looking for a Bride complete in Me (God).
Why do we believe the lie of “Worldly Satisfaction” apart from God?
We think what we cling to of the world is gold, but it is actually rubbish; fool’s gold. Don’t spend your life collecting fool’s gold and miss the real splendor, majesty, and holiness of God’s presence.
We may not physically leave our Father’s side, but sometimes we have left His side, in a spiritual sense, to chase other passions and pursuits away and apart from God.
Is there anything in my life that causes me to leave God’s side or causes us to run away from His presence in disobedience to any of God’s commands?

THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON:

Luke 15:11-32: And he said, "There was a man who had two sons. 12And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them. 13Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
17"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."' 20And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate.
25"Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.' 28But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29but he answered his father, 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!' 31And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"

We may not physically leave our Father’s side, but sometimes we have left His side, in a spiritual sense, to chase other passions and pursuits away and apart from God.

Is there anything in my life that causes me to leave God’s side or causes us to run away from His presence in disobedience to any of God’s commands?

In the hand of the Potter

Oh, how I have longed to mold you and shape you into the image of my son, Jesus Christ. But, before I can place you upon the potter’s wheel, I must pick up the broken shards of your life that are lying on the ground. Allow me to gently pick you up, gather you unto myself and mold you together. Then I can place you on the potter’s wheel and gently mold you into the image you were meant to be. Allow my Holy Spirit to place you onto the potter’s wheel. You were designed for a purpose and a destiny in me. Allow yourself to be willingly placed on my potter’s wheel.

Isaiah 64:8; And yet, Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand.
Jeremiah 18:1-6; The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, "Go down to the shop where clay pots and jars are made. I will speak to you while you are there." So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so the potter squashed the jar into a lump of clay and started again. Then the LORD gave me this message: "O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand."

We are all innkeepers...

We are all innkeepers…

Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have. "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
The innkeeper had his inn on a lonely stretch of road, in a very dangerous place. An innkeeper is responsible for bandaging up, helping out, and listening to those that God brings our way. We pour out our lives, tell our stories, and wait for those we wait on to get better. Sometimes those that we have helped out and poured into leave; that is okay, perhaps they were meant to be in our life for a short time, perhaps, they too, are called to the life of an innkeeper. An innkeeper is a lonely but fulfilling life, We won't get fully paid in this lifetime, but our payment will be enough when we see Jesus, our Innkeeper, who found us on a lonely stretch of road, on the way to nowhere, who took us in, bandaged us up, and committed Himself to us until we were well enough to live again.
Many thanks to Ruth Patterson, from Ireland, who related this passage of scripture to us at Saint Simons, Georgia, April, 2008.
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