Where Are You?
Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9 nkjv
A new year has dawned, and we are closer to the return of Jesus than ever before. In fact, every day we are closer and closer to that great and awesome day of the Lord (Joel 2:31). There are so many unexpected things that await us new job opportunities, ministry opportunities, victories, defeats, births, and even deaths; perhaps our own. There will come a day when Christ will return for His church, but your day may come sooner than His. These are things we have no control over: birth and death.
As I ponder these things, I read God’s call to Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” and it caused me to consider, Where am I with the Lord? Am I ready to meet the Lord? Am I ready for my own death? Adam and his wife had sinned. They broke God’s one command, and instead of running to Him, they hid. They were afraid, they were ashamed, and they attempted to cover up what they had done. These efforts were futile. God found them out and gave them the terrible news of the consequence of their sin: death. Death entered the world through one man, Adam. But the Word of God tells us of a greater work through one man sin entered, but through another came life! The work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary ushered in life to all who would come to God through faith in Jesus Christ the Son. God covered Adam and Eve with tunics made of animal skin. When we come to God through Jesus Christ, God does the same thing, covers us, but in the blood of His Son.
Yet, I find that people are still hiding. They don’t want to be found out. They fear that if they come to God with their sin, like Adam, they will be dealt a heavy blow. What they forget is that God covered them. Though death entered the world and they would eventually die, it would not be for hundreds of years. Even in judgment, God extended mercy. God still calls out to us to come. Because of Christ, He took the heavy blow for us all. Judgment was placed upon Him, and forgiveness and covering were extended to us. All we have to do is come confessing, and we are met with mercy and grace. There is no need to hide your sin; God already sees it. God knew what happened in that garden. He knew where Adam and Eve were, yet He still called out to them, “Where are you?” God was giving them an opportunity to come out from hiding and confess their transgression.
He calls out to you today asking the same question: “Where are you?” Where are you with God this new year? Are you in His presence, in fellowship with Him because you have confessed your sin, or are you still hiding? You do not know what awaits you this new year. There are things you cannot control, like His return or your death. Are you ready for those things? If not, good news is that all we have to do is confess your sins and be covered in grace. That is something you have control over. So don’t hide from Him. He knows what you have done already. So come.
Agape,
Frank
What He Has Done
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. Genesis 2:1 NKJV
Genesis 2 opens with the completion of a work, and what a wonderful sentence it is!As we come to the close of a year, many take time to look forward to the upcoming new year. There is nothing wrong with being excited about something new, something unknown; however, it is also important to reflect on what has passed. When Paul says in Philippians 3:13, “but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,” I do not believe he means forgetting what God has completed in his life. Paul, I believe, is forgetting the sin, shame, mistakes, and blunders of his past not necessarily the amazing things God has accomplished.
When Jesus healed a group of ten lepers, they all ran away rejoicing, but only one stopped, looked back at Jesus, returned to Him, and thanked Him for what He had done. Jesus even marveled at this man and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” Luke 17:17–18 KJV.
It is a good thing to wait expectantly for the new year to be excited for new ventures of faith and for new doors to be opened. But let us not forget what Christ has done for us. Let us not be like the nine lepers who received their healing and never looked back to Christ. One of the ways to look back is to partake in communion, it is a time to look back and praise Him for what He did on the cross 2,000 years ago, so that you and I can have a future and a hope to look forward to.
Happy New Year,
Pastor Frank and Darleen