WHEN YOU REBEL

The Lord's grip is strong ...

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

... but only upon those who are His.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 1 John 2:19

Sometimes God's children become discouraged and even rebellious. They may disobey the Lord and seek their own way for a while. But if they truly belong to Christ, they will find they are held by a power beyond themselves.  

A five-year-old boy became angry with his mother and decided to run away from home. He walked out of his house with a small suitcase and trudged around the block again and again. Finally, when it was beginning to grow dark, the policeman stopped him, "What's the idea?" The little boy answered, "I'm runnin' away." The officer smiled as he said, "Look, I've had my eye on you, and you've been doing nothing but walking around the block. You call that running away?" The little fellow burst into tears, "Well, what do you want me to do? I ain't allowed to cross the street." The youngster obviously respected his parents and knew that they loved him. He couldn't really run away.

Like the little fellow who could not carry out his threat to run away, the child of God cannot absolutely and finally depart from Him. The apostle John tells us that those who completely and irrevocably leave the Christian faith never really knew the Lord. Their exodus is proof that they did not truly surrender their life to Christ ... a transient fan maybe, but not a follower. 

Child of God, you need not live in fear that in a moment of frustration, you will turn your back on the Savior and be forever lost. 

When your grip weakens, His doesn't.