"You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. -John 5:39-40
On any given Sunday you will hear sermons that elevate the importance of the cross. But God does not want us to memorialize the crucifixion. It needs to be a present reality in us. Too often, we listen to Bible stories passively as if we've heard it all before without it applying now. Or we read His Word without contemplating Him!
God does not tell us things merely to give us lessons. He does it so He can give Himself to us & we to Him. He does not want us to live off His memoirs, but His abiding Presence.
But it is strange how we can talk about God without realizing that He is there at that moment. Even the Samaritan woman said, "When Christ comes, He will explain everything to us." Then Jesus said, "I who speak to you am He."
Another fantastic example are the travelers on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:15-32. For miles they walked and talked with Jesus without recognizing Him. And they carried on a conversation about Jesus while He was in their midst.
I have often felt that the reason we don't overcome sin is because we fail to realize how near the Lord is. What a paradox that Omnipresent God can be so elusive to us!
Pause this moment and know that He is right here, right now.
