#DailyDevotion Having A Little Problem With Your Sin?
2nd day of Lent
Joel 2:12–19
12“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
You know what you are doing is wrong. You may have admitted it. You may have even gone to confession concerning it. Yet you continue to live in that sin. Why is that? Well you may have not reached a bottom with that sin. What do I mean by that? You really don’t realize how bad that sin is. When you confessed your sin there was no emotional content behind it or supporting it.
Look what the Lord says, “return to me with all your heart” and “with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts.” This is not a casual admitting that you messed up. It is not a more or less forced “I’m sorry.” You have been broken by your iniquity. You realize down to the depths of your soul the harm your sin has caused you, others and your relationship with God. You may need to go back and do some personal research to get to this point and write it down. Who have you hurt by your actions? What harm has it caused you in your life? What have been the negative consequences of your actions? Who will not associate you anymore because of it? What do you really think about your relationship with God because of your actions? Have there been financial costs, money you’ve lost or never got because of it? Is your guilt affecting your current relationships? Well you can go on and on. But until you feel a need to stop, until you rend your heart, you probably won’t stop and will only make a less than “all your heart” confession.
That will not necessarily be enough to stop your sin long term. It is only preparing you to return to God. Something else is necessary. You must believe God will forgive you. If you’ve been stuck in some sin, you may believe God is opposed to you and will not forgive you. But listen to what He says through the prophet Joel, “for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” If you don’t believe this about our Father in heaven, then why change? If you believe He’s just going to send you to hell why not continue in your sin? But here we are told of God’s character. Our Father is gracious and merciful. He does not enjoy punishing the children of Adam. His desire is to be merciful, to treat you better than you deserve. It is His primary will toward us to be gracious, to act favorably toward us.
We see and can be guaranteed of this nature of God the Father toward us in His Son Jesus Christ. In Jesus we see the Father’s graciousness and mercy. In Jesus, we see the Father’s abounding love toward us. For Jesus takes upon himself our sin. He takes our punishment and he provides the ransom from our sin. Jesus have poured out his blood upon the mercy seat of God the Father and provided the atonement sacrifice. Whatever the cost for our sin, Jesus has paid it on the cross. As we look to our crucified Lord and Christ, we can know God the Father has relented of the disaster that belongs to us because of our rebellion. The cross of Jesus frees us from our sin.
Heavenly Father, grant unto us your grace that we may rend our hearts, repent of our sin, and believe the Good News of your mercy and grace in Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.