Call to Return: Lent week 4

The last couple weeks in our journey to the Resurrection we have looked at sin, ours and mankind’s. Sin is what separates us from God; He cannot tolerate it nor bear it in His presence. It caused spiritual death in the garden, and continues to cause spiritual death in our lives. The sin in our own lives, if left unchecked, spreads death and decay into the rest of our lives, and the sin of our society and country brings death and decay to everyone.

 

That is why Jesus came to die, to pay the debt of our sin so that we can gain His righteousness and be accepted by God. It is only through believing in His sacrifice that we can be saved from the eternal death and destruction caused by sin. And it is only through His power and deliverance that we can say no to sin and yes to God. That is the only way we can leave sin behind and have the true, abundant life of God. God loves us too much to leave us in sin. He accepts us as we are, but we cannot be in His presence while in sin.

 

In order to have a relationship with Him we must put off sin and put on Christ. This does not mean that we will be perfect, but that our lives will be devoted to living for Him, that our desire is to please Him and not ourselves. We must repent of our sin in order to have that relationship. We have to acknowledge that what we do is wrong, confess it to God, ask Him to forgive us and then turn away from it and strive to live in obedience to Him, and when we fall back into sin we repeat the process. Hopefully as time goes on the times when we fall become less as we grow closer to God. We must not get caught in the idea that we have fallen too far to come back. God is calling us to return to Him every time we fall away. As you read the verses below, surrender your whole heart to God. Ask Him to show you any part of your heart and life that are not surrendered completely to Him.

 

Joel 2:12-18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“Return to Me with all your heart,
And with fasting, weeping, and mourning;
And tear your heart and not merely your garments.”
Now return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in mercy
And relenting of catastrophe.
Who knows, He might turn and relent,
And leave a blessing behind Him,
Resulting in a grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God.
Blow a trumpet in Zion,
Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and the nursing infants.
Have the groom come out of his room
And the bride out of her bridal chamber.
Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers,
Weep between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, “Spare Your people, Lord,
And do not make Your inheritance a disgrace,
With the nations jeering at them.
Why should those among the peoples say,
‘Where is their God?’”

Then the Lord will be zealous for His land,
And will have compassion for His people.