paradox

Psalm 24:16 For a righteous man may fall seven times       And rise again, Psalm 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;          For the LORD upholds him with His hand.   The world often has a problem with Christians because of their hypocrisy.  Christians purport to trust in a living God and commit to doing what is right.  Christians subscribe to the idea that the wellbeing of others is more important than their own.  Christians commit to honesty in all endeavors, within and without their homes.  Christians spend a lot of time with other Christians worshiping their God.  Yet Christians still fall.  The amazing paradox, to me, is that the Lord allowed for that.  The Christian is declared righteous because of the work of another on the Cross.  And just as a parent inevitably must clean up and straighten up a child who has transgressed a household rule, the Lord has provided for our inevitable failures.  Just as we did not achieve a right-standing with our God by our merits, so we cannot stay true in our own strength.  But like the righteous man of Psalm 24 and 37, we must allow the Lord to hold us up and raise us up.  Perhaps each time we fall and then discover we've not been abandoned by our heavenly father our fragile trust and incomplete maturity actually advance...as we discover the One who absolutely never falls or fails.   blessings, Rob Smith