The Lost Battle
THE LOST BATTLE
Read 1 John 1:4-10.
“You’re quiet this evening, Madeleine. Is something bothering you?” Dad asked.
Madeleine cried, “I can’t do it. I’ve tried!”
“Tried what?” Dad asked.
“Tried acting like a Christian,” Madeleine said. “I told a lie today. Christians don’t tell lies. Last week I lost my temper. Christians don’t lose their tempers. I might as well give up!”
“Madeleine,” said Dad, “sometimes you do things you shouldn’t do. But you’re still a Christian because you have been born again.”
“Then why can’t I act like a Christian?” Madeleine asked.
“Living the Christian life is a growing process,” Dad explained. “Sometimes we lose a battle, but we have to keep fighting.”
“Well, I’m tired of trying to be something I’m not. I’m just a big flop!”
After Mom gave thanks for the food, Madeleine watched her father heap his plate full. “Dad! I thought you were on a diet.” Madeleine had been so proud of her father as he had lost pound after pound.
“I was,” Dad responded, “but today I ate a piece of cake. I cheated on my diet. It’s too hard! I just can’t do it! I’m tired of dieting.”
“But you look so good,” Madeleine said.
Dad shook his head. “I’m tired of trying. I’m just a big flop.”
“No, you’re not. You . . .” Madeleine smiled. “Oh. You’re not a flop because you cheated on your diet, and I’m not a flop because I told a lie. We both lost a battle, but we haven’t lost the war.”
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you ever been tempted to quit living for Jesus because you sinned? Maybe you’ve decided that being a Christian is too hard. Don’t be discouraged if you lose a battle with sin occasionally. Confess your sin. God will forgive you. Victory is sure in Jesus!
TO MEMORIZE:
If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
1 John 1:9
KEEP FIGHTING SIN.
From the book
