June 2, 2008
Return
To Me
Sometimes we bend our ear to
the enemy who hates us and begin to focus on us: our unworthiness, our frailty,
our weaknesses. We allow condemnation to set in and refuse to receive the grace
and mercy our God wants to pour out on us.
In those times, we need to
return to the simple truth of God that “God
demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ
died for us.”(Romans 5:8)
Daniel 9:9 says, “The
Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against
Him.”
Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “Because
of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ
even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been
saved.”
1 John 4:10 says,
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as
an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
God knows our sinful nature
and has provided a way for us to be rescued from this body of death! He loves us
so much; He gave His own blood to redeem us from the destructive grip of sin.
Jeremiah
3 is a chapter that shows God’s emotion and deep longing for us to come
to Him for help.
Hear His cry of plea to His
people in verses 11, 12, 19, and 22.
Return,
faithless Israel, declares the LORD,
I will frown on you no longer,
for I am merciful, declares the LORD,
I will not be angry forever.
Only
acknowledge your guilt—
You have rebelled against the LORD your
God,
You have scattered your favors to foreign
gods
under every spreading tree,
and have not obeyed me,
declares the LORD.
I
myself said,
How gladly would I treat you like sons
and give you a desirable land,
the most beautiful inheritance of any
nation.
I thought you would call me 'Father'
and not turn away from following me.
Return,
faithless people;
I will cure you of backsliding.
He
not only says He will forgive us and be merciful to us but He will not be angry,
He will treat us like sons, and He will cure us! All we need to do is
acknowledge our sin and fall at His feet.
1
John 3:20-21 says, For if our heart condemns us, God is
greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not
condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
When
we are lacking confidence before God, we are stuck in condemnation! We must
return to the simple truth that we are saved by grace and get our eyes off of us
and back onto our Almighty God who loves us!
Don’t
let the enemy’s hate for you convince you to live in condemnation. God’s
love is crying out for you to return to Him to receive mercy and grace.
Jesus
has already paid the price for your redemption!
Janet
Fairbrother