“From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from
my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,
says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we
return?’”
(Malachi 3:7)
Sometimes events in our lives overtake us and, if we let
them, they can drive a wedge between us and God. This can lead to rejection of
God and of His church. There are many reasons why this happens to people – it could
be the breakdown of a relationship, bereavement or some other life changing
event. A feeling of loss and disappointment is often very hard to bear and sometimes
it is easier to blame God than it is to look inwards. There can be a feeling of
anger directed at God, a “Why me?” questioning of events.
Thankfully, even if we believe it is the end of our
relationship with God, there is never a point at which He gives up on us. That’s
how good He is. No matter how much anger, resentment or blame we throw in His
direction, He simply accepts it and loves us anyway.
“I spread out my hands all the day
to a rebellious people, who walk in a
way that is not good, following their own devices.”
(Isaiah 65:2)
God is loving, kind and patient. He will
never force us to turn back to Him, but he does wait with open arms in
anticipation of the day when we do. He won’t turn us away, no matter what we
have done, no matter what sins we have committed, so long as we ask for His
forgiveness and turn back to Christ.
“Remember therefore from where you have
fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and
remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”
(Revelation 2:5)
If you have had a strong faith, but
turned away due to doubts, fear or temptation, then you are in some quite remarkable
biblical company. God has shown us through His word that even the strongest, or
seemingly most faithful, can fall away when faced with life’s challenges. There
have been several ‘titans’ of the Bible who, when tested or tempted, failed to
step up to the mark.
King David
David sinned when he was tempted by the
beauty of Bathsheba – so much so that he ended up causing the death of
her husband Uriah. Yet God forgave David because he truly repented of his sin:
“Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have
sinned against the Lord. Nathan replied, ‘The Lord has taken away your
sin. You are not going to die.”
(2 Samuel 12:13)
David honestly admitted his wrongdoing,
but he also knew that he could not go it alone. Neither can we. To live a
Christ-like life we need the Holy Spirit within us, as accepting the Holy Spirit
gives us the strength, and demonstrates a submission of our own desires, that we
need in order to avoid sin. When returning to God we need to make sure that we
are once more opening up our hearts:
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a
willing spirit, to sustain me.”
(Psalm 51:12)
Peter
Peter, one of the original disciples who lived in the
presence of Jesus, seemed like he could never be a candidate for rejecting the
Lord, but he did. Jesus even told Peter that it would happen. The Bible shows
us that anyone can sin, even if the warning signs are there, due to our
weaknesses and human frailty. It shows that even the strongest, most faithful
and dedicated to Christ have the potential to fall:
“Then they seized him and led him away,
bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was
following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat
down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl,
seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man
also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later
someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man,
I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying,
“Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man,
I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he
was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned
and looked
at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster
crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.”
(Luke 22:54-62)
Fear got the better of Peter and this
led to his denials of Jesus. Yet what happened to Peter after this? Did he fall
further away? Did God close the doors to the kingdom on Peter? In fact Peter sought
forgiveness, was even stronger in his faith than ever before, preached the word
of the Lord throughout the rest of his life and is part of the foundation of
the modern Christian church.
The Prodigal Son
An example Jesus gives of God’s unending capacity for the
forgiveness of sin, when people turn away from Him, is that of the prodigal
son. This was a young man who was a son in his father's house – a metaphor for having
faith in God. The son went off taking his inheritance and proceeded to live a
sinful life dedicated to pleasures of the flesh. This was all well and good
while he was rich, but his new friends soon deserted him when he had spent the lot.
Again this is a metaphor – the pleasures of the flesh are short-lived and don’t
bring true and lasting fulfilment.
After many struggles and living in poverty, the son
realised he was better off at home and returned – a metaphor for repentance and
turning back to Christ. Notice that his father (a metaphor for God) welcomed him
back before he even asked to be just a servant in the house. The prodigal was
welcomed back as a son. This shows that, despite our sins and turning away from
God, when we return we will be clean again. God is a loving father and forgives
us totally.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
(1 John 1:9)
If you know someone who
has turned away from God, pray for them, support them and love them, but remember
to always keep strong in your own commitment to Christ.
“Brothers, if
anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him
in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
(Galatians 6:1)
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