Returning to the Lord

There are times when all of us get away from the Lord. It is at those times we realize things are not right. Then, we have to decide to keep going our own way, or to return to Him. If we are to find real life that is satisfying and whole, we must return to Him. That is what happened to God's people during the 70 years of exile in Babylon. They repented of their sins, which had caused God's anger against them, and they returned to the land determined to do His will. (Jeremiah 24:7) When God saw their hearts of repentance, He came to them in a very powerful way. We need to have that same experience, if we are away from the Lord now.

The key is returning to God with our "whole heart." We can't partially turn from sin and turn to the Lord. We have to seek Him with our whole heart, and we have to trust Him with our whole heart. No compromises. We must be "all in." Then, when God sees that, He gives us a heart to know Him. He again becomes our God in the sense that He leads us fully every day as His people. Then, we enjoy Him, and we enjoy being used by Him to do His work in this world. However, it all starts with us. We have to return to Him with our whole heart.

Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 26-28.