Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger forever.
Jeremiah 3:12
Despite the many avenues you have traveled in life and the dark paths you may be on right now; be encouraged to know that God desires for you to “Return…” Just like the prodigal son; no matter your current situation or how far you have fallen, God is standing with open arms waiting for you to come home… In a vision concerning Jerusalem and Judea, Isaiah the son of Amoz records words from the mouth of God in the 1st chapter and 18th verse of his prophetical book the words, "Come now, let us reason together, "says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Make no mistake about it today, you are a filthy rag and without the cleansing blood of Jesus, hell has a (n) RSVP with your name on it… Even as ugly as it may be or hard it may seem to acknowledge, know that you have made mistakes, acknowledge that you have given into temptations; however, come to the realization today that you can overcome and be victorious through the saving power of Jesus Christ… Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet, his words were recorded in light of the coming destruction that the house of Israel would face… His tears were sown knowing of the coming doom and bondage that was on the horizon…
Today, know that these same tears are sown in your life when others see you heading down the wrong path; these tears are sown in your life when people see the direction in which you are headed and how your life seems to be spiraling out of control… These tears are sown not because of the destruction, but because God’s desire is not for you to go against His will… The destruction you face is because of the trials of life that have conquered you and the temptation you have given into… You have “backslid” and God is indeed angry; however, He wants you to know that if you return to Him that “… I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you…” God wants you to turn to Him; He is tired of watching you fall, He is tired of watching you struggle and He wants you to know that He is merciful… In the book of Lamentations 3: 22, 23 Jeremiah records that “It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion's fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Every morning God withholds the judgment we deserve, every moment God wants you to know that even though you messed up yesterday, I want you to know that I still have a plan for you (29:11) and I need you to understand that I want to forgive you and take you higher… Even though you have messed up, even though you have backslid, God will not keep His anger toward you forever… You have the opportunity before you to go in a new direction… The door is open before you to pursue a different alternative and God is simply waiting for you to choose Him…
Know that the full anger of God cast Lucifer from Heaven; the full anger of God hasn’t been felt by us, we should turn to Him while we have a chance so that we can overcome and grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior before it’s too late… God is merciful, He withholds the punishments that we deserve, and He has extended us a life-line when we should have been dead a long time ago… Even though you go through times of despair and have to suffer some consequences, it's good to know that the Lord said, "I will not keep anger forever." You ought to be thankful that you have a job (even if it isn't what you desire); you ought to be thankful that you have a roof over your head (even if it isn't the mansion you want); you ought to be thankful that there are clothes in your closet (even if there are barely enough to last the week)… These items provide all the evidence that we need to know that God is working on our behalf and making ways out of no way… Be real with yourself today; instead of asking why you are dealing with this storm, be thankful that you are feeling the blunt force of it… Today, stop asking why you have all these bills piling up on your coffee table and be thankful that you aren’t out on the streets… God keeps providing opportunities for you to return to Him… The father’s arms are open, He wants you to let Him in and allow Him to transform your life… Just like we read in multiple passages, Jesus is waiting with open arms saying, “WHOSOEVER WILL, LET HIM COME”.
The question of the day, is He speaking to you?
No comments:
Post a Comment