There's Still Time

What a God we serve! It's never too late to repent and turn back to God. Sometimes we feel that it is, we feel that we've let God down too many times, but it's important that we realize it's not too late, we can repent we can go back, but we must do it quickly while there's still time.

In this passage of scripture found in the book of Joel, we see a call to repentance. God told the people to repent and turn to him while there was still time. Destruction would soon be upon them. You know it's the same for us today! God wants us to repent and turn to him. To live for him. We don't know when our lives will end, but when our lives do end, it's too late to repent and live in obedience to God's will and be effective here in this world. Many will die lost and never know Christ as their Savior, and many will die saved but not living for Christ as we should. We should trust and obey God now, while we can. We shouldn't let anything hold us back from turning to him. The following verses speak to those that once knew the Lord, once lived for the Lord God, those people that used to offer up sacrifices to the Lord God but now, for what ever reason, have turned away.

Joel 2:12-14
(12) That is why the Lord says, "Turn to me now, while there is still time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
(13) Don't tear your clothing in grief, but tear your hearts instead." Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.
(14) Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the Lord your God as before.

I love these verses because they show the compassion and mercy of our Lord God. God wants us to be restored in our faith, in our service, in our relationship with him. If we'll just ask for forgiveness and come back to our loving Father, he is slow to anger and wants to relent and not punish us for what we've done. That's true love folks. In verse 13 were told not to tear our clothes in our grief but instead tear our hearts. Whats this means is that it's not what matters on the outside, it's all about what's on the inside. Appearances can fool others, but true repentance comes form the heart. People in those days used to tear their clothes as a sign of their deep remorse, but God doesn't want an outward display of mourning, and weeping without a true inward change of the heart. True repentance is what God wants, and when we do this. When we repent with our heart, then the Scriptures give us comfort in knowing that we might just be blessed in spite of what we done to deserve his curse of punishment.

Bottom line is this, all God wants is to restore us so we can be of use for our Lord as we were before we turned away. Isn't it wonderful that even though we may leave God, he never leaves or forsakes us. Isn't it a blessing to us that his love is far greater than ours ever can be. If you too feel like you have fallen away from being in the will of God like you used to be, then repent! Turn back to him and perhaps through his mercy and grace you'll be able to serve him again as you did before. Our God is a God of restoration. The Lord promises restoration to those that repent (Joel 2:18-27)

So where are you in your relationship with the Lord? Are you in his will and living in obedience, or are you running in the opposite direction? If your headed the wrong way, stop, turn around and go back to where you belong. Do it while there's still time, Do it because God has great plans for you as you serve him in obedience. His blessings await you, if you'll just repent.

May God bless you,

Steve

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