I wasn’t any further away from God than the Israelites were in the time of Jeremiah. They had fallen into deep rebellion and apostasy—sacrificing their own children in the fire, worshiping the moon and stars, and insisting that God would never bring judgment upon them.

If anyone seemed too far gone to come back to God, it was them.

And yet, God told them, “Find Me one righteous person in Jerusalem—one who still obeys Me—and I will spare the entire city for the sake of that one man or woman.”

Just one person.
Not 50.
Not 45.
Not even 10.

God was willing to show mercy to tens of thousands of selfish, rebellious people for the sake of just one person with a contrite heart. What a great God we serve!

Don’t ever think you’re too far away from His mercy. “If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you” (Deuteronomy 30:4).

There is no place too dark and no sin too great. 1 John 1:9 still stands, waiting for you to claim its promise in faith. And remember, we also have something practical to do. Paul urges us to flee from sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18). Many temptations can be avoided if we don’t put ourselves into certain situations or environments. I wish I had understood that earlier.