LIFE SCRIPTS

“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “ ‘When people fall down, do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return?
Jeremiah 8:4 NIV

We fail at times. But God is a God of second, third and the umpteenth chance. He gives us a hand and lifts us up from the miry clay only if we are willing to get back to our feet again. The prophet Jeremiah was warning the people of the southern kingdom (Judah) about their desertion of Jehovah. In verses before he speaks of them desiring death over life. He speaks of the graves of their kings being opened and their bodies being left to rot in the sun. Jeremiah paints a picture of the damage sin does to a nation but not without a remedy. In verse 4 he reminds the people about God’s thoughts over them… when people fall, do they not get up? When people go astray, do they not return? (paraphrased). The heart of God desires that when we fall away from His grace, we find our back way to Him. His desire is not to punish us but for us to repent and turn back to Him. Are there ways we feel we have abandoned God? Do we feel distant from Him? At times I do. When I sin, I feel so lost from Him. But He’s beckoning me to find my way back to Him. He’s reminding me that when I fail, I always have a second…and a third…and a fourth…and an umpteenth chance to get back to Him. His arms are open wide waiting for me to turn from my ways, repent and embrace Him. Spiritual failure is a chance to start all over again. To start with God who’s willing to embrace me back again. To embrace the grace He’s offered us through Christ, our Lord and Savior.