“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (1 John 1:9)

I heard a story a long time ago that went something like this.  A man was traveling through a rural area when came upon a barn that had a huge target painted on the side of it.  The closer he got the more intrigued he became.  His curiosity got the best of him of so he stopped, walked up to the barn, examined the target, and noticed a bullet hole right in the center of the bull’s eye.  The owner of the barn walked up to see what the man was up to and the man asked if he shot this bullet into the barn.  The farmer said, “Yes I did, from 2500 feet away.”  The man marveled at the marksmanship of the farmer.  But the farmer admitted that he shot the barn first, and then painted the target around the bullet hole.  The moral of the story is, “If we aim at nothing, we will hit it every time.”

Where do you point a fellow believer who has been “overtaken in sin?”  May I suggest the above verse.  It points to the way of restoration.  This verse leads the fallen believer to repent of the sin.  Once repentance is issued the fallen can receive the forgiveness and cleansing from the LORD.  His forgiveness and cleansing restores the intimacy of the relationship and the forgiven believer can once again rejoice.  

Today is October 29.  Pointing the fallen to this truth is a bull’s eye every time!

Blessings,

Jim