Turning to and from God. Stay or Stray?

I have attended church for over twenty years.  I have seen many people come and go, and come and go, and come again.  They are turning to and from God perpetually.  Some eventually determine to have a relationship with God.  They stay, and they love Him.  Others desire a temporary association with Christ. 

They treat God as if He is a secret or side lover.  When life gets rocky with their regular love (the world), they run to Jesus for the compassion and comfort He offers unconditionally.  God’s loving presence feels awesome.  It is a solace for a broken heart and relief from sin’s heavy burden.  However, they want to feel a good emotion without a call on their intellect to make a choice. 

For those who come to Christ seeking forgiveness, they will find it.  One encounter with Him and we are never the same. 

But until we choose against leaning to our own understanding, we will turn again to our worldly passions.  Until we choose to believe in who God is, and walk daily by faith, trusting Him, we keep on turning. 

As we turn and turn we choose the temporary “feel-good” over Christ.  We declare by our actions that the world is enough.  We declare it until our soul begins to cry out loud, “No, it is not enough”.  Then for another temporary moment we journey back to our love on the side – Jesus.  This time will we stay or stray again to another lover?

I wonder how many times will a man or woman turn and turn and turn.  They turn to God.  They turn to the world.  They turn to God.  They turn to fleshly desires.  What is the difference between them that turn and those that remain in Christ Jesus? 

I was tired of turning around and around.  The Bible says that a double minded man is unstable in all of his ways.  I was unstable and miserable.  Worldly pleasures became short-lived. 

Like an addict chasing their first high, the more we turn, the more we destroy ourselves. 

The more the world let me down and the more I let myself down, I could see how much Jesus really loved me.  What on earth was I thinking; to turn from Him?

Jesus is there all of the time.  In all of our turning and blowing in the wind, Jesus is waiting with open arms to receive us.  There is no greater love, for God is love.  He died.  He rose.  He returned to sustain us by the power of the Holy Ghost.  His love goes anywhere and reaches to anyone, but who will hold to His hand when He reaches and not let go?

How do we turn from this?

Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37 – (NIV)

When He has promised this:

But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9 - (KJV)

A relationship with God is not emotional only, it is purposeful.  It is forgiveness.  It is love.  It is living.  It is Heaven.

Turn, turn, turning, and the clock is winding down.  How long do we have to make the decision if we will stay or stray?  No one knows.