"Tell me where you lost the company of a Christ, and I will tell you the most likely place to find him. Have you lost Christ in the closet by restraining prayer? Then it is there you must seek and find him. Did you lose Christ by sin? You will find Christ in no other way but by the giving up of the sin, and seeking by the Holy Spirit to mortify the member in which the lust doth dwell. Did you lose Christ by neglecting the Scriptures? You must find Christ in the Scriptures. It is a true proverb, Look for a thing where you dropped it, it is there. So look for Christ where you lost him, for he has not gone away. But it is hard work to go back for Christ. Bunyan tells us, the pilgrim found the piece of the road back to the Arbour of Ease, where he lost his roll, the hardest he had ever traveled. Twenty miles onward is easier than to go one mile back for the lost evidence."-Charles Spurgeon
It is a novel idea to look for something where you lost it or could have lost it and this concept hit me hard when I read this yesterday. I realized that when I fall away from God or become cold to His presence and finally become aware of it, I just start over in a sense. Instead, I should trace my steps back and find out where I went wrong or else I am just as likely to do the same thing all over again. In a lot of ways, I have become lazy in my fight against sin. When I'm convicted of sin I repent and move on. No heart searching to see how I got there, no dealing with the heart or root issue. Like Mr. Spurgeon said, "it is easier to go forward 20 miles, than to go back 1."
"Take care, then, when you find your Master, to cling close to him. But how is it you have lost him? One would have thought you would never have parted with such a precious friend, whose presence is so sweet, whose words are so comforting, and whose company is so dear to you! How is it that you did not watch him every moment for fear of losing sight of him? Yet, since you have let him go, what a mercy that you are seeking him, even though you mournfully groan, O that I knew where I might find him! Go on seeking, for it is dangerous to be without thy Lord. Without Christ you are like a sheep without its shepherd; like a tree without water at its roots; like a sere leaf in the tempest--not bound to the tree of life. With thine whole heart seek him, and he will be found of thee: only give thyself thoroughly up to the search, and verily, thou shalt yet discover him to thy joy and gladness." - Charles Spurgeon
This last part of the passage was very encouraging to me. As sinners we fail. Sometimes we are surprised when we fail and can feel condemned. But like Mr. Spurgeon says, it is a mercy when we begin to seek Christ again. That is God drawing us back to Himself. Isn't God good to us to hold on even when we let go?! He will never hide Himself from those who seek Him.
Heavenly Father, I have failed You more times than I could ever count and yet You have never failed me. When I have let go of You, You have held onto me. Give me the strength and perseverance in my fight against sin. I pray that in the future, I will be able to watch You every moment for fear of losing sight of You. Be near O God, and have Your way in my life. Amen
4 comments:
Lana - Wow! This was good for me to read. I think I am going to read it again. I am going through Psalm 1 right now and it talks about the faithful person being like a tree planted by streams of water. Spurgeon says without the Lord we are like a tree without water at its roots. God, like a river, sustains our lives. A tree cannot live without water, just as we cannot live without God's protection (Ps 46:4). Like a tree that soaks up water and bears luscious fruit, we are to soak up God's Word, producing actions and attitudes that honor God. The rivers of pardon and the rivers of grace, the rivers of promise and the rivers of communion with Christ, are never-failing sources of supply. I am so excited about what God is doing in my life. I feel like I cannot keep up with all that He is showing me. Thanks for the post. You may see some of what I said again on my blog. Love You!
Christine
I agree. The natural tendency for me is just move on. Forget about my sin and get to the rest of life. But as you pointed out, there is no growth in that. No sanctification. We should always be attempting to get to the root of our sin to see where we erred. we cannot properly practice repentance and restitution without doing that. Thanks for sharing your struggles and your wisdom Lana.
I was very enouraged by this post, Lana!
"mercy when we begin to seek Christ again. That is God drawing us back to Himself. Isn't God good"
When I think about the wonder of how God (1) freely forgives us and then after we do sin then (2) freely draws us back, I am reminded of the scripture of John 1:15, "of His fullness we have all recieved grace for grace."
Look, can you see where God's grace ends? I cannot; therefore, what reasons do we, the recipients of His grace, have to adore and worship Him!
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