“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:” Proverbs 24:16
Do you remember the day you asked Jesus into your heart? Do you remember the joy you felt and the desire to show your gratitude for eternal life by serving Him? Sometimes those feelings lessen and life gets busy and we stray. We forget the Savior Who saved us. We become caught up in the cares of this world and stop reading our Bible or going to church.
When this happens we open ourselves up to the devil and soon we are not walking with God and living in the world. Proverbs 14:14 points out what happens next. “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways:” Our heart becomes crushed by the devil and our joy in the Lord is soon forgotten. But we have hope. Our salvation is forever secure and we can return to God. We only need to confess and turn. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.”
Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.
Fanny Crosby was a prolific writer with thousands of songs. Her faith was strong in spite of her handicap (she turned blind at the age of 6 weeks because of an infection) and she always spoke of her closeness to her Savior. Her desire was for all to be saved and turned to God and those saved who had strayed to be brought back to the fold. Paul encourages us to, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith;” (I Corinthians 13:5) When we fail God there is always a way back and we just need to confess our sins, read His Word and seek His forgiveness. The road back to God is well worth walking.
Do you need to return to God? Do you need to help a friend return to God?
