God has compassion for those who have strayed away, even when they think they are better off without Him. Is there hope for such people who run away from God? But Jesus did warn us about such sins-they hinder us from growing in our relationship with God. They live with what they consider “small” or “respectable” sins, believing that they don’t need to be rescued from them, or that these sins are not as bad as the “big” ones like murder and adultery. Some people run away from God by freezing in disobedience. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” (Luke 9:23-25). For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. Jesus said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Clinging on to life takes us away from the God who gave it to us, and this ironically means we will lose it. It is also foolish to think that we can preserve ourselves by running away from God, because Jesus taught that in trying to save our lives, we end up losing them. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, / my God, in whom I trust.’” As Psalm 91:1–2 says: “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High / will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. The safest place is not far away from God, but near Him, in the shadow of His wings. Self-preservation seems to be the overriding motive when people try to keep a safe distance from God. Perhaps he truly wanted to follow Jesus, but was afraid of what might happen to him if he stayed too close. After Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter “followed him at a distance” (Matthew 26:58). Some people try to follow Christ at a distance. People have different reasons for running away from God.
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