Disclaimer

The views expressed on A Different Perspective are entirely owned by the writers, and their publication here is not an endorsement on their beliefs by Ufuomaee.  Rather, it is an opportunity presented to hear and understand alternative views on issues of life, particularly Christianity.

I stood by the road side, tired and trying to catch my breath from the long exasperating journey I had embarked on from my faculty to the hostel when the speaker from the campus fellowship close by boomed into my ears

“She was rejected by men! They had raised stones against her but He said, “which ever one of you has committed no sin may be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7)

And immediately, the story of the adulterous woman the Bible talked about popped into my head. It was said that after a while, Jesus raised up His head and found she was the only one left. He asked: “Where are they? Is there no one left to condemn you?” (John 8:10)

A different twist of the story was explained by the preacher. At that point I had strolled by, away from the spot but these words had trailed my ears, riding graciously in the air and resting calmly in them: “There was no one to run to but Jesus even in sin”… It stuck to my heart and then I began to ponder.

The love of God is greater than that which no man could ever give; not in words or deeds or even the thought of it.

In our daily lives on campus, temptation surrounds; from the very room one lives where the topic of almost every conversation is drug and sex, to the moment you step out of the hostel to behold the parts of the body meant to be covered exposed to the eyes of men, to the very urge of ‘blending’ so as not to be seen as an alien or become the topic among your peers.

And with every passing moment, the urge to engage in one form of sin or the other, subtle or grave, becomes greater like the force of gravity on a falling object. It takes Grace to truly hold on to the very end.

And for many students, the pit is always ready to accept them as they fall as they always would for not being able to withstand the temptation of sin – sugar coated and pleasing to the flesh. They fall. Yes, we all do at one point or the other especially when the soul has been starved of its food but here’s what matters,  after the fall, what next?

Jesus had fallen on His way to Golgotha, not in sin but from lack of physical strength but the zeal to carry on was stronger. After His fall, He picked himself up, what about you?

Frankly speaking, it could be extremely difficult regaining from the trauma of sinning especially in times when you think you could hold on but the opposite becomes the case. A feeling of guilt and self reproach consumes you and for some, to the extent that the sin of Judas comes to mind and becomes appealing for falling short of His Glory.

The thought of kneeling before your Father seems like the task of lifting a bad of stone with a finger. For some others, when a brother or sister invites them to church, it becomes evident that you begin to see yourself as a piece of rag in a house of Gold by taking the easy way out – giving excuses. And hours run into days and days into weeks and months only to realize you’ve been dragged deeper and deeper into sin as the devil continues to play with your conscience. And then you begin to believe the lie that the church is not a place for sinners. Listen up, I’ve got news for you; the church is for sinners! We all are sinners for we have fallen short of the glory of God; for we like sheep have gone astray.

In times of trouble, in times of sin when guilt seems to press you to the earth, remember that there is always one to whom you can run; one who is ready to welcome you back with open arms, one who rejoices and feasts when one lost sheep rejoins the flock, one whose blood was shed as an atonement for sin and one who would not condemn you. His name, Jesus Christ.

He will, like the adulterous lady, be your shield against those who taunt you with their insults and criticism,  those who wish to see you fall deeper by discouraging you.

He only asks that you do one thing for Him: go forth and sin no more.

Photo credit: http://www.bhgministries.wordpress.com

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Francis Ihejirika. Influencer, writer, blogger, public speaker, cool, calm, collected, God’s workmanship. #TeamKCOB #TeamFrandela. I blog at frandela.wordpress.com.

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