Gods Forgivness

In the book of Joel the nations are being condemned, unmercifully, by God. However, in Joel 2:13 it says   "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." What Joel is saying here in this passage is that God is merciful, and He wants  to forgive you. But at the beginning of the verse he when he says "So rend your heart, and not your garments..." Joel is saying you need to tear your heart from the world, and lament in your heart and soul for the wrong you have done. Instead of lamenting in your mind and appearance. "Rending your heart and not your garments" Means that you must repent entirely before God. when you are tearing your garments you are repenting only on the outside (according to this verse in Joel, reffering to the people mentioned before this verse) and you are not repenting fully, before God.

If you repent of your sins fully and entirely, God will forgive you.
Later in Joel 2:32 it says "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." That means anybody that cries out to God, and repents, God will hear their cry, and He will save that person, or persons, from eternal death.

Now you may think that this can't apply to you, because you've sinned WAY too much. Well that isn't true. Because all sin is equal. There is no sin that is worse than another one. In this world we think there is, but no. Murdering someone is just as bad as thinking about murdering someone. Carrying out your lust is just as bad as wishing or thinking for or about lustful things. Also, in Joel 3:21 it says "For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the Lord dwells in Zion."
What this verse is saying is that; God will erase every sin you have done from His book of law. And when you see Him, He will say to the judges, that you are NOT guilty of the sins you committed.
Now the reason He can do this is because He "dwells in Zion". Now Zion means the city of God. The significance of Jesus (the Lord) dwelling in Zion is that Jesus came down to earth, and was crucified, after living a perfect sinless life. Now when Jesus died, because He did not commit any sin during His life, He had all the sins of the world laid on Him. the sins from the people before Him, the sins from the people alive with Him, the sins of you and me.
When Jesus died, He went to Hell, because He had laid everybody's sin on His file in the book of law. And that meant that He had to face the devil. But when Jesus got down there, because He Himself had not sinned He was able to battle the devil Himself for the key to Hell so that the sins He had just payed for would be shed into this pit once they were committed.
Jesus spent three days and nights battling the Devil, and then He conquered him on the third day. And in conquering Satan, He conquered death. and on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. And now Jesus is in Zion, the Holy city, with God. and Jesus is the law man, for He payed for everyone's sin, and He conquered the penalty for our sin, which was death.

Ruth's Devotion

 Ruth 1:16-17

16   "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge' Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.

17   Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me."

As I read this passage in Ruth I realised what an amazing love and devotion Ruth had for Naomi, her mother-in-law. When I thought about the verses here,  I realised, that's the kind of devotion and love I need to have for God. I realised, that's the kind of love and devotion I want to have for God. This passage really "woke me up" and gave me a "clean windsheild" about what kind of devotion God wants me to have for Him.

If you are struggling, and you think that you should be doing more to display your love for God in your actions, not just your mind, read the book of Ruth, and look at the kind of love and devotion she has for God. and see if it helps you. :)

Rise Up, and Follow Him!

Rise up and Follow Him,

Rise up and praise His name!

Rise up and follow Him,

and let His name reverberate through the earth!

Rise up and Follow Him,

shout His name from the lowest valley!

Rise up and Follow Him,

Sing His name from the highest mountain top!

Rise up and Follow Him,

Follow Him through the valleys of Death!

Rise up and Follow Him,

through oceans and storms!

Rise up and Follow Him,

He will be there when you fall!

Rise up and Follow Him, 

Follow the king, and Lord of all!

Rise up! oh you blinded people!

Rise up, and SEE! 

Rise up, you doubting people!

Rise up and know your saviour! 

Rise up, you fearful hearts!

Rise up and fear no more!

Rise up you people of God!

And praise His Holy name! 

~ Alainna Norland          

Safe In You

In the morning,

I cry out to You, O God,

And you hear my voice.

At noon,

when darkness surrounds me,

and I am stumbling through tears,

Your arms wrap around me.

In the evening,

as I walk through Deaths Valley,

you guard me from flaming arrows.

At night,

when I fall unconcious to the ground,

You pick me up,

and carry me.

                                                          

                                                                   ~ Alainna M. Norland