Journal Entry ~ 03/20/18

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

It can be hard to see ourselves as we truly hard, to look in the mirror at our sin, but when we do - and when we truly repent, we find our gracious and merciful God waiting to forgive us. He is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and he relents over disaster. 

One of the reasons people fear repentance is because they only know earthly relationships. Those come with harsh judgment and a lack of forgiveness. We hold a defensive position in many of our relationships because we’ve been hurt in the last when we’ve let our guard down. When we try to be vulnerable, we find others use that to power up over us. Many of our relationships are not filled with grace and mercy, steadfast love, and they are not slow to anger. 

So we hesitate to be vulnerable with the Lord. But His love toward us is unlike any relationship here on earth. He is gracious and merciful, meaning He does not give us what we deserved, but instead gives us what we don’t deserve. His love for us is steadfast, meaning He pursues is with a love that doesn’t give up. And He is slow to anger. He is not upset with us for what we have done, He already knows and has forgiven us. Completely, unilateral forgiveness. It’s gone. He wants to move you out of that sin pattern, and show you a life of freedom. Don’t let your experiences with earthly relationships dictate your response to the Lord - He is gracious and merciful and loves you with a steadfast love. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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