Some of the saddest moments in my past 40 years of pastoral ministry were the times where I witnessed fellow workers falling away from the Lord. Maybe it was doctrinal heresy that led to deception or moral failure that destroyed their homes. And despite the Lord repeatedly showing them grace, their ministries were eventually destroyed and their lives ruined. I often remember the good old days when we served the Lord together and ran to the altar with tears in our eyes to seek His presence. Yet in spite of the grace manifested in their lives, they lost the race.
This is why I take to heart a warning from 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” This verse cautions us on pride, which Deputy Senior Pastor Daniel spoke about recently. There is no greater danger in our lives than the deception of pride. It transforms a beautiful cherub into a hideous creature of hell. Yet the following verse offers us hope, it says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” God will always offer a way back when we trip and fall in our spiritual walk. We simply need to humble ourselves, be brutally honest with God and come in repentance.
The graciousness of God is also shown in the book of Isaiah where the prophet Isaiah rebukes the people and warns them of the coming judgment. However we see that in the midst of all the gloom, God showed grace, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.” (Isaiah 30:18-19)
If you have walked away from the Lord, don’t be stubborn. Return to Him and He will always be gracious to you. As 2 Timothy 2:13 tells us, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
- Senior Pastor Lawrence Khong