Why is it that people wander from the truth, especially in the sense James seems most concerned in his letter: wandering from “living out” the truth?
What happens to individuals when they begin to lose interest in corporate worship, preaching of the Word, small group study, and private devotion?
Why exactly do they fall away?
To be sure, there are many factors involved in the Christian’s going astray. We noted earlier, for example, the Christian’s ongoing struggle with “the sin that remains,” that continual battle with “the flesh” or the “old man.” We must not underestimate the need for constant vigilance as we endeavor to walk in holiness.
It is also important to remember that most sin stems ultimately from misplaced desire. A lack of delighting in the all-satisfying Lord Jesus Christ weakens our defenses and awakens our vulnerabilities to wrong desires (much as we discussed in Chapter 4, “Tackling Temptation”).
In the Old Testament, God conveys something of this through the Prophet Jeremiah: “My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13).”
When we forsake the Lord, we stop going to Him in prayer, listening to Him in His Word, and communing with Him in worship both corporately and privately. And when we stop “drinking” from Him, we drink from something else. The prophet says God’s people have made their own cisterns, or wells, described as “broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
A broken cistern is a cracked container that allows water to seep out while mud slowly seeps in. To drink from a broken cistern is to drink muddy water. Who wants to drink muddy water? A thirsty person will drink from it until he discovers a better, more refreshing, and more satisfyingly healthy source.
As persons created in God’s image, we often thirst for our Creator without realizing it. As St. Augustine so famously wrote: “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.” 1
Spiritually we may be drinking muddy water without realizing it, inadvertently trying to satisfy our spiritual yearnings. It’s like trying to quench our thirst with the wrong water, drinking from the wrong well.
- When you turn to pornography to make yourself feel better, you are drinking from a broken cistern.
- When you allow your thoughts to wander into sin and temptation, you are drinking from the wrong well.
- When you get drunk or use drugs to get high, you are substituting living water for muddy water, perhaps without even realizing it.
Jesus said to the woman at the well in John 4:
Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.
John 4:13-14
We wander from the truth when we forget that Jesus embodies truth (John 14:6). Often unintentionally, we turn to the lies of the Enemy, the one in whom “there is no truth (John 8:44).”
The ultimate cause for wandering from the truth is drinking from the wrong well. Take care to drink from the water of life, the only water that can quench the thirst of our souls. And do your best to see that others who wander are turned back to the living water of Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, let us read prayerfully the words of an old hymn that speak to the heart of this ministry of restoration:
Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting,
Waiting the penitent child to receive;
Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently;
He will forgive if they only believe.
Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.
Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.
What About You
- Why are some Christians reluctant to reach out to those who have wandered from the truth?
- “If it is possible for a believer to wander from the truth, then it is possible that one day we ourselves may be that very believer.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
- How do you see your role in the ministry of restoration? Is there someone you need to call or reach out to this week?
**Excerpt from You’re Either Walking The Walk Or Just Running Your Mouth (Preaching Truth: 2020), pages 216-219, available in all formats here.
Pequeño mundo (pk🌎)
💓🧡💝❤️ NICE
BLESSED AND HAPPY AFTERNOON 🌞
GREETINGS 🇪🇸🌈🌹