Paddling back
Posted in hope, love, Misti's Posts, repentance 0 comments
I've been poring over some verses in Jeremiah this week, wondering how God wants me to respond to them. As I read Mike Johns' blog 'drifting', I was once again blessed at being witness to the way He works in our lives. So, without any foreknowledge of what Mike was planning to write; I'd like to submit a follow-up to his words.
Jeremiah 3:12-14a
"Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north. Tell them, 'Come back to me, wayward Israel,' says the Lord. 'I will not continue to look on you with displeasure. For I am merciful,' says the Lord. 'I will not be angry with you forever. However, you must confess that you have done wrong, and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God. You must confess that you have given yourself to foreign gods under every green tree, and have not obeyed my commands,' says the Lord. "Come back to me, my wayward sons," says the Lord, "for I am your true master."
I love the tone of these words. There is so much love in this message from God to Israel. It doesn't matter to Him how far they've drifted, or for how long. He only wants them back, in His arms. The message is one of pleading: "I won't even be mad. Just don't stay away!"
It's the same with us today. We drift away from time to time. We allow ourselves to get distracted, and we slide into sin without even realizing it. Despite this tendency, God loves us. He knows we're going to wander off and get lost. That's why He pursues us. He shouts our names, calling us back to Him, and all He asks in return is that we confess that we've let ourselves get off track. That we acknowledge we have hurt Him, and ask for Him to forgive us.
God is the parent of a billion prodigal sons. "All of us like sheep have gone astray, seeking our own way. We've left the shepherd's care again." Like the father in Jesus' story in Luke, our Father shows His delight when we return to Him. "Paddle back, my beloved son."
Jeremiah 3:12-14a
"Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north. Tell them, 'Come back to me, wayward Israel,' says the Lord. 'I will not continue to look on you with displeasure. For I am merciful,' says the Lord. 'I will not be angry with you forever. However, you must confess that you have done wrong, and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God. You must confess that you have given yourself to foreign gods under every green tree, and have not obeyed my commands,' says the Lord. "Come back to me, my wayward sons," says the Lord, "for I am your true master."
I love the tone of these words. There is so much love in this message from God to Israel. It doesn't matter to Him how far they've drifted, or for how long. He only wants them back, in His arms. The message is one of pleading: "I won't even be mad. Just don't stay away!"
It's the same with us today. We drift away from time to time. We allow ourselves to get distracted, and we slide into sin without even realizing it. Despite this tendency, God loves us. He knows we're going to wander off and get lost. That's why He pursues us. He shouts our names, calling us back to Him, and all He asks in return is that we confess that we've let ourselves get off track. That we acknowledge we have hurt Him, and ask for Him to forgive us.
God is the parent of a billion prodigal sons. "All of us like sheep have gone astray, seeking our own way. We've left the shepherd's care again." Like the father in Jesus' story in Luke, our Father shows His delight when we return to Him. "Paddle back, my beloved son."
0 comments:
Post a Comment