He Picks Up the Pieces...

After my last blog on sin, I have continued to think about how sin can destroy us. You know, like most people, there have been times in my life where my sinful nature took over. I know the difference between right and wrong, but sometimes it is easier to take the wrong path--make the wrong decision. I think sometimes it is easy to become almost "immune" to our own sin. After a while, it doesn't seem so bad. It gets easier and easier to sin. We supress our guilt, and try to justify the filth in our lives. There have been times in my life where sin caused a divide between me and my Savior. The rift got bigger and bigger until I felt like I could never reach God. I began to miss God's presence in my life. I lost the joy that only came from obedience to Christ. The beautiful thing is that God always calls me back to Himself. Despite what I have done or how far I have strayed from Him, He brings me back into His presence--and there is no better place to be than there. He breaks me--and I repent. Repentance hurts. Knowing that I have done things displeasing to the very God whose love is perfect hurts. I believe its that pain that sometimes makes us cling so severely to our Savior. He loves us UNCONDITIONALLY. He picks us up and puts us back together. We don't deserve that kind of love. I love the book of Hosea--its all about God's patience with us and how He restores us and loves us despite how many times we flee from Him. One verse I have always loved is this: "Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but He WILL HEAL us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds." -Hosea 6:1 Sin does not go unpunished. There will be pain and guilt--but the Lord will restore us because He loves us. Be encouraged that God loves us past our sin. Nothing we do will ever make God stop loving us. Cling to the Lord--and strive for a life of holiness. Be blessed! Jenn