by Jim Hughes
Joel 2:12-13 That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time! Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief; instead, tear your hearts” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful. He is not easily angered. He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you.
If you have turned away from the Lord, hear what He is saying to you today. Turn to Him while there is still time! You don’t know what is ahead of you. You may not even finish reading this today. Right now is the time to turn to Him and give Him your heart. Don’t let pride get in your way. Humble yourself before God and seek His face. Admit your sins, confess them before Him, ask Him to forgive you right now while you can.
The Lord is gracious and merciful; He will not turn you away. He will not reject you just because you have rejected Him. He is gracious and merciful and not easily angered. He has open arms to all who would turn to Him and repent. He longs to have fellowship with you. He longs to pour out His love and blessings on you. The only one who can stop Him from doing it is you.
The Lord is full of kindness and is eager to not punish you. He takes no delight in punishing anyone for sin, but He must if they don’t repent. God is holy and will never let sin go. He patiently waits for the soul to return to Him, but there always comes a point in which His patience runs out. He knows the soul and will continue to try to woo us back to Him while we are still able to return. Don’t let sin harden your heart to the point where God can no longer penetrate it. Return to Him now while you can.
If you have not forsaken the Lord but find yourself not as close to Him as you once were, now is the time to turn back to the Lord before you drift farther away. Today is the day of salvation. You may never have another chance to get back right with God. Do it now while you can. If all is well with your soul, praise the Lord for it and pray for those who need to return to Him.
About the Author:
Spending his formative years in Ft. Wayne, IN, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.
C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chaper on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one's self from such failures.
I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If is isn't broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.
