Journal Entry ~ 03/15/18

12 "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 
13 and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.  - Joel 2:12-13

Yet even now. Even though we have wandered, even though we still place things in priority over our God, even though we know what we should do to fall into obedience and we still choose to do our own thing. Even though He has made it clear that we need to surrender that part of our heart, even though we continue to rebel, even though He has chased after us a hundred billion times, and even though He would do it again. Even though the sin we’ve committed is too big to forgive, even though we are shamed and embarrassed at how many times He has had to reveal the same sin to us, even though we continue to choose ourselves first. Even though we take the reigns of our lives back over and over again, even though we live to satisfy ourselves before Him, even though we ignore is warnings and act like a child.

Yet even now. Despite our consistent nature to walk away or downplay our sin, despite the fact that He has asked us here over and over again in our lives, even now He is asking us again to turn from our sin and return to Him. God knows our hearts are so quick to forget and fall back into our old habits, so this invitation to repent exists repeatedly in scripture.   He reminds us constantly to turn from our sinful ways, and fall into obedience. He wants so much for our lives, yet we stand in His way with our disobedience. And it happens over and over again. 

Yet even now. Can you hear the cry of our grace-filled Father to return to Him?  His love is so deep for us that even after all we have done, He stands there saying, “yes, even now, I still want you back.”  He stands with open arms, waiting for our return. Even now. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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