Harvest Daily 12/30/04
December 30
The Presence of the Lord
"I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance." - Luke 15:7
How does God's omniscience and omnipresence grab you? If it fills you with fear and shame, then perhaps that's an indicator that your life is not right with Him. But on the other hand, if it brings comfort and strength to your life, then your life is probably right with Him. In other words, if realizing that God knows everything and is present everywhere encourages you in life, you are probably walking with Him. But if it frightens you, maybe you aren't.
Perhaps you need to get right with God today. Maybe you have been a prodigal son or daughter, and you have been running from the Lord. You have been trying, like Jonah, to escape God's presence and have found how silly that really is. The book of Jonah says that Jonah "fled from the presence of the Lord" (Jonah 1:10). But nobody really flees from the presence of the Lord. Don't try to run from Him.
Realize this. God is not hunting you down. He loves you. He is searching for you. Jesus told the story of a shepherd who had one hundred sheep and one went astray (see Luke 15:4-7). He left the ninety-nine sheep and went searching for the lost sheep. Then when he found it, he wrapped it around his neck and brought it back rejoicing. That's a picture of God's attitude toward us. God is searching for you because He loves you and wants to help you. Don't run from God - run to Him.
Copyright (c) 2004 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright (c) 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.
