backsliding

Search the Scriptures made me examine the process of backsliding in depth, by looking at (one of) the example of the Jews in Jeremiah 2:1-3:5.


First, a promising beginning of love and trust. God kept His promise to bless His people. They lived in peace, security, and happiness. 

Yet it was this very proof of God's reality and goodness--not because of any lack in Him--which made His people complacent. They turned to trust in themselves and their chosen idols, giving credit for God's gifts to these idols.

I see the modern equivalent of this clearly in my urban first-world life. Once we become complacent with the blessings we are given, we don't remember as clearly Who gave them, or how they came. We start to think that perhaps we earned them, or won them. We forget that our eternal life is the gift of Christ, bought with His blood. We start to think that we earned this by all the Sundays we gave up. By all the ways we're a more self-controlled, more polite, nicer person than that Unlovable Person we know. We start to think that we've won our possessions or built up our reputation by our smart choices and good behaviour. 
Whatever it is; human reasoning or street-smartness or just vanity. 

Backsliding is both rejecting God and replacing Him. Many times it's not a dramatic change where we make a conscious decision to reject God. Instead, it's when we slowly, gradually, start to think our fulfilment comes from other places--slowly, gradually, start to rely on and chase after these things--slowly, gradually, fade Him out of our priorities so that our hearts are cold and hard when we do remember Him. 

Your awareness of how important He is fades away. 

This only happens when there's something else to replace Him.  

I need to be wary of my heart. Watchful, in the midst of the blessings God has given me, in case they backfire; in case my heart is misled to backslide because of them. Watchful for arrogance which whispers that 'you earned this! you deserve this, you won this! and you have the formula to getting more!' Watchful for lusts which whisper 'I need more. I've got to have more. I deserve more.'


We don't fall out of love with one decision. We fall out of love when we forget. When we replace. And finally we reject.