"i should" - it's good stuff, whether we're on the receiving end of a tough talk, or need to have one with someone. (And if we're neither place right now, it's a pretty sure bet we probably will be someday, so it's still good stuff.) :)
If you missed Torch last night, keep an eye out on the Torch website for Mark's message - it should be up in a week or two. In the meantime, I hope these verses are helpful to you, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on them. Please comment! (See the sidebar to your right if you don't know how yet.) :)
Each passage below is linked to a page where you'll find 5 alternate translations or paraphrases of the verses. I often find it helpful when I'm studying to look at different translations, as a shift in wording can help me see something in the passage that I might not otherwise have seen. The passages written out here are all from the New Living Translation.
Joel 2:12-14
That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 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. 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.
Isaiah 57:15-19
The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts. For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always be angry. If I were, all people would pass away— all the souls I have made. I was angry, so I punished these greedy people. I withdrew from them, but they kept going on their own stubborn way. I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn, bringing words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both near and far,” says the Lord, who heals them.
Hosea 6:1-3
“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence. Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”
Hosea 14:1-4
Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down. Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises. Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the idols we have made, ‘You are our gods.’ No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy.”
The Lord says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever."
So what can these verses teach us about why we should repent?
No comments:
Post a Comment