“Though I forget
Him, and wander away...”
Fallen Believers are a reality in the Church. Both James and Paul were
aware of such possibility (Jas 5:19; Gal 6:1); and Paul himself testified of
having lost a certain Demas to the world, (2Ti 4:10). Sin, for a true Christian,
is a heart-wrenching issue and No true Believer relishes the fact that they
have fallen into sin. Yet many still find it hard to come to repentance.
A major reason for this is a misunderstanding of the Father’s attitude
towards them. If a fallen Believer holds the erroneous notion that they have
“crucified the Lord a 2nd (29th?) time”, or that they
have so “grieved” the Holy Spirit that He has left them, they’re likely to be
too stricken to return.
We may be being sincere when we tell them that God’s heart is “wrenched”
when the Believer sins, but we must remember that our primary goal is to
restore our fallen Brother/Sister, NOT try to highlight our moral high ground.
A truly distraught child of God isn’t going to want to return to a Father whose
heart they have broken. And left outside of God’s shielding, they’ll remain in
guilt and condemnation and be the repeat-prey of the enemy.
Scriptures makes us see that repentance is expedited by knowledge of the
Father’s unconditional love for us. The parable of the “Prodigal Son” (Lk
15:11-32), perfectly portrays what happens when the lowest of the low child recalls
that there is still a glimmer of hope for him in the heart of the Father.
Though the prodigal son had partial knowledge of the extent of his
father’s forgiveness, it was still enough to cause him to return. He wanted to
be a lowly servant, but the father would have none of it, he wanted to confess,
but the father cut him short, he trudged half-heartedly back home, but his
father RAN to him.
Beloved, the image of God scowling on His throne screaming, “How could
you?” is not just unbiblical, but has also created a barrier to full
restoration for His children. It causes them even when they do return to come with
uncertainty and un-assuredness. They feel the ‘returning’ Holy Spirit still has
a grudge; and what about that lovely promise of the Father to them before they
fell? Well, just Forget About It!
NO. Let the word of P. P. Bliss instruct us today:
Though I forget
Him, and wander away,
Still He doth love
me wherever I stray;
Back to His dear
loving arms I do flee,
When I remember
that Jesus loves me.
The Love, not the disappointment, of the Father is what draws his
children back to Him.
AMEN.
More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.
GREG ELKAN
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