Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time - once again - to take in my much repeated YouTube video of three friends singing … I Will Follow Christ, poignantly declaring the way of true repentance; … and that is to follow our Lord wherever He leads us … no matter the circumstances of life.
Highlight Verse[s]: Joel 2:13 [NKJV] …
16 So rend your heart, and not your garments; . returning to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. …
… God’s Prophet declares His will for true repentance.
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Highlight Context: Joel 2: 12-17 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru the Prophet Joel, calls His people to true repentance - repentance of the heart.
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Reference Passage #1 … Psalm 119:105-107 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Psalmist commits to seeking and following God’s will/way through the light of His word.
Reference Passage #2 … Proverbs 3: 5-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Solomon declares the essence of real repentance … and that is trusting God’s ways over our own.
Reference Passage #3 … Luke 9:23 [NKJV] …
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
… Jesus call to discipleship, which is to follow Him … no matter where His way might lead.
Reference Passage #4 … Romans 8:28 [NKJV] …
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
… We can seek/follow God’s will, knowing that all things are working together for our good, being of the called according to His purposes.
My Journal for Today: … Our Daily Bread author, David McCasland, teaches on the essence of true CHRISTIAN repentance. He wrote: In many cultures, loud weeping, wailing, and the tearing of clothing are accepted ways of lamenting personal sorrow or a great national calamity. For the people of Old Testament Israel, similar outward actions expressed deep mourning and repentance for turning away from the Lord.
An outward demonstration of repentance can be a powerful process when it comes from our heart. But without a sincere inward response to God, we may simply be going through the motions, even in our communities of faith.
The Prophet Joel was led by God to preach to God’s people about true repentance [see today’s highlight passage], calling them to have a turning of the heart, not just an outward show of grief or mourning. And that’s what Jesus sought from His disciples (that’s us, folks! - see Luke 9:23), to follow Him no matter where He might lead us.
It’s tough to surrender to Paul’s truth in Romans 8:28, isn’t it? True - “real-deal” - repentance is turning from our own ways and trusting (see Prov. 3:5-6) that God’s ways are the best ways … and then pursuing God’s will at the expense of our own way, the world’s way, or that of Satan. Repentance for the Christian is seeking, finding, and following the way of Christ; and I believe the only way to do that is to follow God’s word [see Psalm 119:105-107].
The question from today’s ODB is … “Are we walking in real-deal repentance?”
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … You know my heart is to seek Your way daily and follow You. So, I beg that You shine Your light brightly on my path that I can’t help but see Your way to follow You. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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