Guilty! With that verdict comes shame, a sentence, and a mark for life. "Convicted felon" is a line no one wants to put in his resume. As a rule, our failures will be remembered far longer than our successes. Mention the name - Jimmy Swaggart - and see what people say. Will they speak of his gospel music, the Bible college he founded, the evangelistic efforts he carried out around the world, or the millions of dollars he gave to missionary work? Not likely. It will be his failures, his descent into lust and greed, that will fill most conversations about him.
God is different! Time and again, He promises redemption and restoration!
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. .... I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”" (Jeremiah 31:33-34, NIV)
"Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live ... full of sin, obeying Satan... But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead ... And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God." (Ephesians 2:1-8, NLT)
Yesterday, I wrote of the sad saga of a man named Samson, who became first the captive of his lust, and then the slave of his enemies. When the Spirit of God lifted from him, his strength was gone. The Philistines blinded him and made him turn the grinding wheel in the granary. What a picture of the Believer who lives in sinful disobedience! When we reject the leading of the Holy Spirit and grieve our God, our true strength is gone for the fellowship with the Spirit who gives us life is broken.
But, Samson's story doesn't end in the prison granary! There is a line that makes me smile in the symbolism it contains, "But before long his hair began to grow back." (Judges 16:22, NLT) Samson's long hair was a outward sign of his vows to God. As his hair grew over time, his heart turned back to God and he discovered the miracle of restoration and redemption that is available to us all - because of the Lord's mercy! Between the lines of the story, we can see the man broken in body, becoming strong in spirit. As he strained to turn the grinding wheel, though his eyes were gone - he began to really see. No longer could he gaze on the beauty of the women that once captured his attention, but he could 'see' the beauty of the Lord. And with the growth of his hair, his return to devotion to God returned, and with that came renewal of his strength. In the end, this hero of Israel, triumphed in death.
What a price his sin exacted from him! That is the tragic part of willful disobedience to God, Believer. He is rich in mercy, a Redeemer who 'raises us from the dead,' but the scars of sin are never erased. Yesterday's sin can be forgiven, the guilt removed by Christ Jesus forever, but the consequences... ah, those residual effects, they remain part of our lives until we enter into Eternity.
So, if you've fallen - listen for the Spirit's invitation. Receive God's grace and mercy and be restored! "Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:6-7, NLT)
If you're being tempted - run, don't walk, to the Presence of God where there is strength. Don't abuse His grace. "Keep step with the Spirit," and avoid the regret, the pain, the shame that can mark the rest of your life.
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Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above;
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
Title: Great Is Thy FaithfulnessAuthor: Chisholm, Thomas O. / Runyan, William M.Copyright: 1923. Renewed 1951 Hope Publishing Company
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