"Now, therefore," says the Lord,
"Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping,
and with mourning."
So rend your heart, and not your
garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
Who knows if He will turn and relent,
And leave a blessing behind Him--
A grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God?
Joel 2:12-14
Rend means to tear something into pieces. I had to look it up because of the context it was used in. They tore clothes when upset, but now they (people of Judah and Israel) must tear their hearts into pieces. I think this means to open their hearts, can't take it too literally.
It is really serious, they need to turn back to God. "Turn to Me with all your heart" really jumps out at me. All means all, and not 99%. Total commitment is so hard for me, and I ask myself; am I doing what He wants?
I turned to Joel and nothing was highlighted, so I read and picked something to post. I thought this was nice, God is gracious and merciful, until I read some more. I don't know why I keep opening to the coming of the Lord, when I want an uplifting, feel-good verse. Oh well, that is not for me to decide.
Maybe God is wanting people to know that it is never too late to turn back to Him. I know His power and it scares me; well, I just want to be on the right side of it. I can't figure it out, not yet anyway.
I am so glad that I have read the Old Testament. We (society) seem to be fixated with blood, death, betrayal, and basically, pure evil. I laugh at our ignorance. God is way more powerful than the devil.
We may all see the unbelievable fury of God's wrath - I don't have the exact date, sorry. How can we prepare? Read the bold letters:
Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Please read your Bible. Tell God that you love Him.
YOU ARE READING
My Highlighted Bible Verses
SpiritualNo one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. You can learn by reading His Word, the Bible. God will let you understand what He wants you to understand, when He wants you to understand, and how He wants you to understand - He is the onl...
