Thoughts for another day 

April 18, 2011

Today's verse: Joel 2:13. Rend your hearts and not your garments and return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness; and He revokes His sentence of evil [when His conditions are met].  (Amplified Bible – copyright acknowledged)

(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)                                                                                    

There're many Christians who are in the season of Lent and I believe this season is invoked by God's Grace to bring men unto the point of repentance and humility before God, not that for the rest of the year they're to do what they want, but rather gain enough strength in this season to combat the debilitating forces of the devil throughout the year; akin to, I'd even say, reap what you haven't harvested so that your barns are full and you are fed the year through!

But that's just what we're meant to do; what is however important is what God does for us and it is defined by our Scripture today which says, He revokes His sentence of evil upon us; He cancels the debt we incur of His wrath because He is a merciful and gracious God.  He is absolutely slow to anger with us and abides in loving-kindness because of which the psalmist says, 'Thy loving-kindness is better than life!'  Ah, it comes as a waft of fresh breeze upon the soul of man - this nature of God to forget our misgivings and forgive our blemishes.

Truly, you and I serve a magnificent and splendid God who knows only one thing – to do good to us even if all we do is return evil on His face.  Though God, He is never abrasive nor crass with us and whenever I see Christ, I see Him upon the Cross, yielding Himself up to me.  When I see Him on the throne at the right Hand of the Father, I see a pleading in His eyes to His Father to forgive my sins and grant me all that I ask of Him.  My picture of Christ always beckons me to His banqueting table but never to His scourging chamber (if He ever were to have one) and all I can say is I rejoice in His company and I squeal with delight at His warm touch, so I will, by the power of His Holy Spirit, tear my heart and seek a new heart to worship and glorify Him always. Amen.