Run To God, Not Away

As Christians, it’s not usually hard for us to recognise when we’ve sinned. What we often wrestle with is how to respond once we have.

Romans 3:23 in the NLT says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Scripture is clear. We are not perfect. We miss the mark. We sin. But what next? 

For many Christians, the instinct after sin is to try and fix it. You repent, but then you feel the need to put things right yourself. You create distance. You reduce prayer. You spend less time in the Word.  

This what I would do as a young Christian. When I sinned, I did not feel worthy of being in God’s presence. I chose distance. I stopped praying. I slowly stepped away from the Word. I still went to church, but only to keep up appearances. I would hear the sermons but I didn’t connect with them. They went in one ear and out the other. I though this “time out” was what I deserved. But this approach didn’t make things better. It pulled me further away. 

The truth is we cannot fix it ourselves. We were never meant to. Romans 3:24 continues, “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty of sin.” This verse says nothing about us making up for our sin. Why? Because Jesus has already dealt with our sin completely. 

When you sin, you don’t need to run from God. You don’t need to withdraw, perform, or earn your way back into His presence. That voice telling you to stay away isn’t from God. The gospel calls you closer to God, not further away.  

God is not looking for a reason to walk away from you. The next time you fall short of God’s standard and guilt or shame shows up, pay attention to your first response. Do not pull away. Instead push in to your relationship with God. Confess your sin knowing that He is faithful and just to forgive you all your unrighteousness. Pray. Open the Word and step into God’s presence.