Put away your running shoes

He Paid the Price

Imagine with me that you are down on your luck. Life has dealt you a rough hand and you find yourself sleeping on the streets. After days of not eating, you have grown tired and weak, and you know if you don’t eat soon things could get a lot worse.

So, what do you do? Maybe you get desperate, and you steal some food from the gas station. You fill your arms with food, and you dash for the door. The manager reaches for the phone to call the police.

Just as you begin to think it is all over; a man who was standing in the back of the store steps up and pays the manager for the food and the manager does not call the police because the debt has been paid.

Though a bit of a strange metaphor it is the one my mind came up with when I thought about how I viewed salvation and Christ’s work on the cross. I see God as just. A God one that cannot let a debt go unpaid. Jesus is God incarnate, who came to earth willingly, submitting to the will of the Father, paying the debt for sinners.

Our response to Christ’s sacrifice should be to stop running; allowing Him to help us and change us. However, we have the option to keep running. Keep making the same bad choices until it comes time to pay the price of our sins.

If we stop running, Jesus can change us from the inside out and live through us. If we keep running, we will never be full; we will keep seeking things to fill us. Ultimately, they will lead to our destruction.

When you accept the gift Jesus has given, you don’t have to run any longer. You are free from your past. You can Now walk side by side with God, through this life and into the next with confident assurance.

Mini testimony

This metaphor is personally powerful to me. I spent a lot of time as an adult making decisions out of fear and insecurity. Making choices out of feeling like I had no other way. When I realized that Jesus didn’t just pay my debt for my sin, but He pursued me. With Jesus I didn’t have to see things the same way or do the same things, I could change for good. That’s when I fell in love with Jesus the person not just the story in the Bible.

No longer was reading the Bible a chore I had to do to be a good person. I can’t wait to wake up and read my bible, now. I can’t wait to see what God has for me each day.

My prayer life has blossomed. My mind was renewed, and I began to be able to see how God was working. As I saw the fruit of my prayers come to be I wanted more, I wanted to pray more and see God move more.

As my prayer and devotional life blossomed, I began to grow and that is when I began to change on the outside. I found I was kinder, and more patient, gentleness, and self-control began to take hold of my once chaotic life.

Following Jesus

If you are reading this and you are wondering how you can stop running from Jesus and start walking through life with Him. I want to give you some things I have learned through this process with Jesus, to help you stop running from the Lord. To come to a place where you want to work with Him in your life, to see His kingdom come, in your life and the life of those around you.

• Ask God to reveal an area of your life that you are holding back from Him. One thing that kept me running from Jesus in my life was sexual immorality. I justified it and excused it over and over in my life. It took many years and a lot of heartbreak before I was ready to give this area over to Jesus and let him handle it. Once, I did though I have not looked back.
• Learn your identity in Christ. You are a child of the most high God (John 1:12) you are loved (John 3:16) you are made in God’s image (Genisis 1:27) You are free (2 Corinthian 3:17) you are a new creation (Romans 6:6) You are wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14) You are His Child (Ephesians 1:5)
• Surround yourself with other Christians. Allow others to come alongside you, help you, and pray for you as you begin to walk with Jesus in your daily life. We absolutely need each other. Jesus never meant for us to walk this life alone.

While technology is great it can’t replace human interaction. You need to find a church where you can be honest about your life and struggles, so that others can help lift you up when you fall (proverbs 27:17) (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

Conclusion

By repenting of my sins, learning my identity in Christ, and surrounding myself with Godly friends I have seen my faith go from withering and dying to in full bloom. I encourage you to search your heart and seek God out for yourself, asking for forgiveness and for him to reveal your identity through his word. I know that if you stop running from Jesus, He will eagerly embrace you and walk with you into a new life.

It is my heart’s cry that women find Jesus and grow in faith. We, as women, live lives that make an impact for the Kingdom of Jesus. Not just a faith surface deep, but a thriving Biblical faith, the kind we see in the New Testament church. Because of my heart, I want to share personal stories so you can see Jesus working in my life and be encouraged and excited to see Him work in yours too.

If you need someone to talk to or want to share your story I urge you to comment in the comments below so we can discuss as a community or email me at emilyb@moreofjesusplease.com I’d love to talk to you about where you are in your journey with Jesus.

Questions to ponder:

• What are things in your life that you keep from Jesus?
• Memorize verses that reaffirm your identity in Christ. When you are struggling remind yourself who you are in Christ.
• Pray about joining a church. Always ask God where He is leading you and take time to really listen to His response and be ready to act.