Going After the One Who Drifted

James closes his letter with a picture of what a brother is for. If anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, he writes, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. The word wanders is gentle and accurate. Men rarely leap away from the truth. They drift, a little at a time, until one day they look up and cannot quite see the path anymore.

James says the drift is not the end of the story, because there can be someone who goes after the wanderer and walks him home. If you have drifted, understand that being pursued by a caring brother is not a humiliation to endure but a rescue to receive. Let yourself be brought back. And if it is someone else who has gone quiet, someone whose check-ins stopped and who seems to be slipping away, consider that James might be describing your assignment. Go after him, gently and without lecture.

Ask God whether there is a man he wants you to pursue this week, and whether you are the one who has wandered and needs pursuing yourself.