40 Days of GRACE - 20
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of GRACE
Day 20 | RETURN TO THE LORD
40 Days of GRACE
Day 20 | RETURN TO THE LORD
RETURN TO THE LORD
Joel 2:13
“So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.”
Can you remember a time when you were in trouble with your parents, a boss, or a spouse? When times like that come, the natural thing to do is try to hide, run away, or be unavailable.
But how can you do that with Almighty God, who is OMNIPRESENT and knows everything?
The answer is… you can’t. You “might” have been able to evade your parents or feed them a line that would get you off the hook, but you can’t with God. He sees all, knows all, AND knows that YOU are not perfect yet. Someday, yes, but not yet.
Thankfully, our God is FULL of GRACE – “God giving us what we don’t deserve” (in this case, FORGIVENESS); and He is full of MERCY – “God withholding from us what we DO deserve.” But beyond that, our Lord God is SLOW to anger. He is KIND and does not want to discipline His children for wrongs committed.
I think many have tried – in their younger years – to see how much they could "get away" with. Whether it was the classroom teacher, a parent, a neighbor, or a friend, many want to see how far the other person will bend before they break.
Fortunately for us all, our God is GRACIOUS and MERCIFUL. Please pay attention to the word MERCIFUL: it means FULL of MERCY. He loves us and will discipline us because of that love, but God is LONG on mercy and full of kindness and love.
Prayer: LORD God, thank You for the mercy and kindness you have shown me throughout the years. Amen.
Joel 2:13
“So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.”
Can you remember a time when you were in trouble with your parents, a boss, or a spouse? When times like that come, the natural thing to do is try to hide, run away, or be unavailable.
But how can you do that with Almighty God, who is OMNIPRESENT and knows everything?
The answer is… you can’t. You “might” have been able to evade your parents or feed them a line that would get you off the hook, but you can’t with God. He sees all, knows all, AND knows that YOU are not perfect yet. Someday, yes, but not yet.
Thankfully, our God is FULL of GRACE – “God giving us what we don’t deserve” (in this case, FORGIVENESS); and He is full of MERCY – “God withholding from us what we DO deserve.” But beyond that, our Lord God is SLOW to anger. He is KIND and does not want to discipline His children for wrongs committed.
I think many have tried – in their younger years – to see how much they could "get away" with. Whether it was the classroom teacher, a parent, a neighbor, or a friend, many want to see how far the other person will bend before they break.
Fortunately for us all, our God is GRACIOUS and MERCIFUL. Please pay attention to the word MERCIFUL: it means FULL of MERCY. He loves us and will discipline us because of that love, but God is LONG on mercy and full of kindness and love.
Prayer: LORD God, thank You for the mercy and kindness you have shown me throughout the years. Amen.
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