“‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;’” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Have you ever been so deep in a mess of your own making that you figured you were just going to have to ride it out and endure it until the end? That’s an awful place to be. Is there anything we can do there other than to simply hang on for dear life? As a matter of fact there is. We can repent.
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“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Once we’ve walked a path of evil-hearted foolishness, experienced the pain of God-delivered justice, come to a moment of humbly-righteous repentance, what comes next? Well, that depends. On what, you ask? It depends on to whom it is we’ve repented.
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“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”‘” (ESV – Read the chapter)
When was the last time you had that moment when you suddenly came to your senses? You realized that what you were doing wasn’t working; that you didn’t like your outcomes, but unless you changed your inputs, your outcomes weren’t going to change? Have you had that moment before at all? If you have and you actually followed through on those thoughts, that was called repentance. And repentance is the only way out of a pit of justice and back to life.
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“So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.” (CSB – Read the chapter)
Have you ever tried to worship with an angry heart? That’s no small task. In fact, I dare say it is an impossible one. Worshiping the Lord is something that should happen primarily between us and the Lord. Worshiping angry, like doing just about anything angry, is a recipe for not doing it very well. Jesus here offers us a solution. But hold on tight because it sounds pretty radical.
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“I will not keep silent because of Zion, and I will not keep still because of Jerusalem, until her righteousness shines like a bright light and her salvation, like a flaming torch.” (CSB – Read the chapter)
Do you know who the most impatient person in the world is? A four-year-old with something to say. I think we all know that feeling of having a message burning in our chest and needing so badly to get it out that we almost can’t stand it. As frustrating as it can be living with someone like that, we can all admit that it’s a miserable feeling. Do you know who else has that feeling beyond young kids who haven’t learned well how to evaluate the actual importance of what they have to say? God.
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The Nexus 