"A righteous man falls seven times, and rises again" (Prov. 24:16).
A tradition holds that the Savior fell seven times on the way to Calvary. For those familiar with the fourteen Stations of the Cross, seven of them, it can be noted, are falls. (Stations III, VII, and IX are called "falls," while IV, V, VI, and VIII are described by events thought to have happened in connection with falls.) Jesus is the righteous man who falls seven times.
Now ask, "How many times have I fallen into temptation and sin?" Isn't it tragic that you are not even able to number them?
Confess your sins to the best of your memory. Then remember the righteous man who fell underneath the weight of every last one of them, getting up again and carrying them up Calvary, and there dying for them. "The righteous man for the unrighteous" (1 Pet. 3:18).
But the proverb is completely fulfilled when the righteous man who falls seven times on Good Friday rises again on Easter morning. And He lives to defend you against every temptation.
