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Remembering the Fallen
2 Samuel 1:17
"And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:"
David experienced one of the tragedies that many Christians will experience at some time in their life. That tragedy was when Saul's sin eventually took his life. After Saul's death, a young man came to David thinking to encourage him about the battle. He told David how Saul had died and how he had a part in it. This young man thought it was good news that Saul died. However, David responded properly when hearing that Saul had passed away. David knew that a great man had fallen, and he wanted to remember the fallen in a proper way.
At some time in your life you will face the unfortunate tragedy of someone succumbing to sin. When you hear of someone falling into sin, having the proper response is very important for the recovery of the fallen. Our goal should be to recover the fallen. However, if we have the wrong response to the fallen, then we cannot help them. Let me give you four thoughts on how you should remember those who have fallen into sin.
First, don't rejoice. You will notice in the verse above that David lamented over Saul's death. This was not a time of rejoicing when Saul was killed, but this was a time to weep and mourn over someone's death whom God used. Likewise, when you hear that someone has fallen, your response should be one of remorse. You should never rejoice when someone has fallen even if that person tried to hurt you. Many times when someone is trying to hurt you it is because of their sin. Therefore, when they have fallen you need to make sure that your response is never a joyful one
Second, consider yourself when you hear of someone falling. Galatians 61 says, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." When you hear someone fell, you need to look at yourself and make sure there's no sin that can destroy you. When you hear someone fell into sin, it should be a reminder to take inventory of your Christian life to make sure there's nothing that can bring you down.
Third, remember the good of the one who has fallen. There is something good that the fallen one has done. Too many times we want to talk about the bad that caused them to, and this does nothing for you or them. Instead of looking at all the bad that their sin caused them to do, you need to look at their life and see the good that came from their years of serving God. There is something good in everyone that you can remember. You can either choose to look at the negative and remember them for the bad that they have done, or you can remember them for the good influences they had in your life and in others.
Fourth, attempt to recover the fallen. When you hear that someone has fallen, your goal should be to restore them back to usefulness. Instead of gossiping about how someone has fallen into sin, use your energies to try to restore them back to usefulness. They still have many years that God can use them. Though they may have scars that they will have to deal with for the rest of the life, just because they've fallen does not mean that God cannot use them again in the future. Always remember that if it was you who had fallen, that you would want someone to help you to recover.
Be that person who remembers the fallen in the right way. If you will remember the fallen in a right way, then you have a greater chance of restoring them from the destruction that sin caused in their life.