Returning to The Lord with Expressions of Repentence
SERIES
"RETURNING TO THE LORD"
Today's Bible Verse
"Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins..."
(Hosea 14: 2)
This week we are looking at the first part of the series, "Returning to the Lord," and we remember that we are called to return with expressions of repentance. Returning to the Lord after we have gone astray may not be difficult, but it takes some sincere effort. While running back into the ever-welcoming arms of the Lord is easier than standing orphaned and burdened with sin, the return also demands a change of life that is achieved through the repentance of sins. While we are reminded to return to the Lord, we are also asked to be vigilant about how we return, and what changes does the return makes in our lives.
Hosea 14: 2 says "Take words with you and return to the Lord." These are words of repentance. These are expressions of asking for the pardon of sins. These are words where we ask the Lord to pardon us as we run back into His presence of love and grace. When we return to the Lord, we are to take words with us. We are called to return not just with a feeling in our hearts, but with proper words of repentance and trust in the Lord.
Our God has created us not only with the emotions in our hearts but also with the ability to express our feelings in words. Therefore when we come before Him we are called to bring words with us to express. When we come into His presence to praise Him, we do not just sit and feel our love towards Him, but we say in words that we love and adore Him. In the same way, when we come into the Lord's presence with repentance, we are called not just to sit and feel repentant, but to express them in words.
The same verse from Hosea 14 continues to lead us by saying "Say to him: Forgive all our sins..." This will be the most appropriate expression of repentance. When we ask the Lord to forgive all our sins, we first confess that we have sinned, and then admit our sins are many, and finally, we beg for the Lord's pardon. These three important elements are ingrained in this single phrase of asking for forgiveness.
In Romans 10: 08-10 we find Paul sharing the same thought on sharing the belief in Christ Jesus the Lord. Paul insists on the importance of confessing the belief by word of our mouth. He says, "But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." This is the significance of expressing words of the mouth.
Today the call for repentance in words is clear for you and me. Let us return to the Lord while we take words with us; words that will express that we beg for forgiveness. Let us be assured of the love and grace we find in our loving Lord who is ready to accept us and lead us through.
May the blessings of God the Father, the love and grace of Christ Jesus the Son, and the fellowship and guidance of the Holy Spirit, be with us forevermore.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
Ebenezer Veerasingam
🎶
"Lord, I come to You"
