Jeremiah 3:14–15: “‘Return, O backsliding children,’ says the LORD; ‘……….. And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.’”

Jeremiah began his ministry in the thirteenth year of King Josiah’s reign.

Josiah was a good king who was in power for 31 years and instituted some major reforms.

It would appear that King Josiah’s reforms only corrected Judah’s outward behaviour but didn’t touch their hearts.

In the above verse, we see a word, ‘Backsliding.
Backsliding is a uniquely biblical word.
What does it mean to backslide?
A backslider is one who goes backwards in his spiritual life.

But Remember My Friends…………
…backsliding is not just going backward; it is a failure to go forward.

An theologian said it this way: …
“Backsliding…occurs when the Christian is gradually led off from close walking with God, loses the lively sense of divine things, becomes too much attached to the world and too much occupied with secular concerns; ………..

Backsliding is a serious problem because the greatest sin in Christianity is the failure to grow up spiritually.

When a baby with genetic problems can’t grow up, parents’ hearts break.

In the same way, when one of God’s spiritual babies refuses to grow up, His heart breaks.
In the above verse, God said, “Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings…”
So how do we return to God?
In Acts 3:19:- “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

📍Repent, get back into the word.
📍Develop a daily habit of spending time with God..
📍Memorize favorite Bible verses to recall in difficult times.
📍Listen to Christian music to keep your mind and heart in tune with God.
📍Develop a Christian friendship.

So dear friends… let’s check ourselves…
Are we growing spiritually, or have we been in a state of regression?

Why not make a fresh commitment today to move forward in our relationship with Jesus?

Jooley Mathew Z
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