This devotional series examines a verse or two from a chapter of Proverbs each day of January 2017.
“For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” ~Proverbs 24:16
The Bible often equates sin with stumbling. Even for a follower of Jesus, there are times that we lose our footing and find ourselves face down in the dirt. We are made new, but the old sinful nature still clings to us. We are being perfected, but we don’t fully make it there on this side of eternity.
Temptations come. Some we avoid; others trip us up. So, what happens when we stumble and fall?
As the proverb says, the righteous will rise again.
When we find ourselves in the dirt, we have a choice. We can keep wallowing in the filth, or we can stand up, dust ourselves off, and move on. Following Jesus leads us to do the latter. Being made righteous by him, we have new desires. No longer do we want to wallow, instead we want to keep pressing on. So, we rise, set our eyes on Jesus again, and follow.
Even more, we have strength to rise that we did not have before. The Holy Spirit within us gives us the internal strength to rise and pursue our sanctification in Christ. Other Christians around us give us accountability to help us to our feet and to avoid more potholes in the future.
Though you might fall, keep getting back up. Keep pressing on. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
First Baptist Church 