Don’t Fall

Prayer – Lord, falling is a hazard for us older folks. Balance is an issue, but the key is to keep moving so that we can keep moving! Is it the same way spiritually? Help me to stand strong and never fall. Give me strength to not be deceived or to give into temptation. You’ve promised that temptations will not be more than I can stand and that You’ll provide a way of escape. Thank you.

Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. And don't grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:9-13

 

Meditate. Consider God’s guidance and promises in scripture.

         

Young Zander - Don't Fall
Cartwheels on the South Carolina beach.

Don’t fall. How many times have you said that to others or thought it for yourself? Falling is one of the greatest hazards of life. Physically falling can break bones…or even result in death. Don’t hit your head! Spiritually, falling can be just as devastating.

            Paul was addressing Jewish people in Corinth reminding them about their ancestral exodus from Egypt. There were some who fell from God’s grace all along the way. God reminds us about their degressions and rebellious spirits. They really struggled with obedience—over and over throughout the Old Testament and then everyone, both Jews and Gentiles, continued to contend with rebellion throughout the New Testament and today. It is a warning for us. How often do you find yourself doing something your way instead of God’s way? That would be sin.

Sin is just simply a voluntary violation of a known law of God by a morally responsible person, or as Suzanne Wesley said… “Whatever weakens your reasoning, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes away your relish for spiritual things, in short, if anything increases the authority of the flesh over the spirit, that to you becomes sin, however good it is in itself.”

We all sin and fall short God’s standards, just as Paul wrote to the church at Rome.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26 (Underlined for emphasis.)

Sin is falling…spiritually. But God provided a hand up…an opportunity to become right and pure in His eyes. That is what the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is all about. God doesn’t force us to choose Jesus as our Savior, but He allows us to choose for ourselves. What is your choice…day by day? Do you accept Jesus Christ as the One who Redeems you from your sins…as your Savior and Lord? I do. I’m no different than anyone else. I’ve fallen short of God’s expectations—but I accept the undeserved kindness of God through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. Be careful. Choose wisely. Don’t fall.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ Did God's people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Romans 11:11

 

© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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