ESOCS Devotional 20 September 2024 – Return to Me
MEMORY VERSE: “Don’t tear your clothing in your 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.” (Joel 2:13NLT)
TEXT: JOEL 2:12-22
“Now, therefore,” says the Lord,
“Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
13 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.
14 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?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion,
Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;
16 Gather the people,
Sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes;
Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,
And the bride from her dressing room.
17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,
Weep between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should rule over them.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
18 Then the Lord will be zealous for His land,
And pity His people.
19 The Lord will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil,
And you will be satisfied by them;
I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.
20 “But I will remove far from you the northern army,
And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
With his face toward the eastern sea
And his back toward the western sea;
His stench will come up,
And his foul odor will rise,
Because he has done monstrous things.”
21 Fear not, O land;
Be glad and rejoice,
For the Lord has done marvelous things!
22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;
For the open pastures are springing up,
And the tree bears its fruit;
The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional Here
God is much more concerned about hearts genuinely loving Him and longing to be in a relationship with Him. The Old Covenant prophets emphasized that God’s people often lost their hearts to what was false and only gave lip service to God in their rituals.
Jesus also emphasized that God wanted us to love Him and serve Him from our hearts and not just by going through religious motions.
“Give me your hearts…” “Don’t tear your clothing… tear your hearts instead.”
God pleads with us to return to Him wholeheartedly: “Turn to me now, while there is time.” Why would the Almighty God plead with His lowly creations? Because He loves us and longs for us to come home to Him and love Him — heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Our “Abba Father” is full of unfailing love and yearns to be “merciful and compassionate” to us! The amazing truth is as simple and straightforward as it is glorious: The Creator of the universe, with all of its eternal power, mystery, and beauty, knows each of us and longs for us to draw near to Him and know Him.
As the apostle Paul said, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.'”
Let’s come to this God seeking to love and know Him, as we are loved and known by Him!
- Have you truly appreciated God for the gift of Salvation?
- Almighty God, Creator of the universe, I am humbled and grateful that you know and still welcome me into your presence. I praise you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Further Reading: 1 Kings 19:15-21; Matthew 6:19-35; Luke 12:41-48
ESOCS Devotional 20 September 2024
