DownshoreDrift

As I am reading through the Bible the past couple of days, this reading plan is really giving me some amazing insights.  I have always seen the Bible as an incredible narrative of God's plan, the Fall, Redemption, etc. But, just reading the parallel accounts of Genesis where God created the universe and man with the plan of being in relationship with us and how we destroyed that; and Matthew where Jesus comes to save us from our sins - well, it is just really impacting me.  In the first few chapters of Genesis, man is running away from God as fast as he can.  From the Fall in the Garden, to blame being passed, to anger, to murder, to rejecting God, to total destruction during the Flood because of the evil of man - it is a pretty intense situation, and pretty hopless as well.  The picture to the left is from 9/11 and shows people running from destruction, but in the same way, God's creation (man) ran from the only one who could save.  I think that deep down we know that we are sinful and a holy God causes fear because we know that we cannot be with Him.  We know that something in us has to change and that is more than we can take.  No one wants to die.

Fast forward to Matthew, and you see a different picture, although filled with similar violence.  God is now running after us.  Mankind has reached the end and cannot save himself.  God comes to us in Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.  Violence erupts as Herod has all of the boys 2 and under around Bethlehem killed.  Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt.  Angels.  Shepherds.  Proclamations of Salvation and Hope.  The despair of the past is breaking and the light of God is shining in a dark world.  The waters that destroyed the earth in Noah's Flood now point to the salvation of the world in the baptism of Christ.  John the Baptist heralded the way of the coming of the Lord.  He called everyone to repent the same way that Noah did. Some listened and some rejected.  To go along with these readings, Psalm 3:8 says, "From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people."  That is truly what happened when Christ came.  The curse of sin and separation from God was taken away.  God came running after us so that we would not have to run from Him.  He calls us again to the waters, this time not to judge and destroy, but to bring life from death.  Yes, death is what awaits each of us and the holiness of God requires it because of our sin, as is shown in Genesis.  But, because of the coming of Jesus, it is His death that we enter into, and we die to ourselves so that we can live a new life.  It truly is an amazing Gospel that blazes from every page of the Bible.  We ran from God - God ran after us.  Are you letting God catch you today?  Have you been apprehended by your Savior?  Stop running and surrender to Christ.  Bring the darkness of your life into the light and let Him redeem and restore what you once thought was lost.  Live the way you were created - in God's image as God's child.