Forums » General Discussion
Coming Back to the Lord
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I know when we're young, even if we're born into Christian houses, some of us still have a lot we have to figure out on our own. We have our rebellious and experimental years when we're feeling on top of the world and like we can do no wrong. We experiment maybe some do drugs and mess around with pornography and alcohol, and some may even turn their backs on the Lord. But, as we get older and learn many of life's lessons the hard way, we slowly start to change. And with that change, many start to seek the Lord again and want to re establish their relationships with him. I think we're always welcome to come back to the Lord and I think we should be grateful for that. I know that I am grateful for his forgiveness and his mercy, we all have that time when we decide it's finally time to stop being young and rebellious and time to grow up and come back to the Lord. Even those who begin seeking him later in life he is always there waiting with open arms. What age do you guys think people begin to start to come back to the Lord?
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The thing is, I have done that multiple times so I would say between 15 and 80. When you fall, get back up. Don't let wallowing in the mud become a lifestyle. The longer that you stay in that rut, the more difficult it is to get out of it. I have noticed a disturbing trend when older people 70+, suddenly come to the Lord and are then called home.
My Dad was like that. He was a great man but was put out of a church when he was young because he was divorced, so he never went back. Then at 70 he got on fire for the Lord and started attending a local church everytime the doors opened. Suddenly he had a stroke and went home. I can only believe that God is merciful, long suffering, and holds death off until they are ready, and I thank Him for that.
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What exactly does it mean to "walk away from the Lord" in your eyes? It could have various meanings to people and I don't think its one of those "one size fits all" kind of things. To me, it means living a human life with normal human concerns and putting the Lord down on your list of priorities, say from number 1 to number 10 or lower. We all have times when there are seemingly more direct concerns that matter immidiately in our lives and sometimes we make the mistake of putting those concerns above the Lord. To be honest, I do this more often than I would like especially about trivial matters that I would prefer to attend to myself. But I would like the option to go back to the Lord and make strong and true connections with Him. Is that option truly open always? Are there times when you've used up your chances? I don't believe that, but then again, what do I know?