Even Now

Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Joel 2:12

Thanks be to God!

He is not like a school principal who calls a problem student in his office and gives him some days of suspension before the student can comeback to his classroom. Not like a vice-president of your company who puts somebody, who erred on a job related issue, on forced leave without pay before that person can report back to the office. Unlike the sports commissioner who disciplines a player who has incurred technical fouls and forced the player to sit down a game or two before the player can suit up again.

He is our loving and merciful God.

As Joel proclaimed, “Even now…” God calls us to comeback, NOW. After you have sinned. After you have done so much wrong. After you have walked away from his goodness and mercy. You did something wrong just now against your God, you can return to him, NOW! You hold this habitual sin in your life like you hold your breath, you can rejoin God’s family, NOW! You keep on blurting your temper on your kids and wife, you can restore your relationship with them and with your God, NOW! You are like a person who has this long list of criminal record, you can have your homecoming to the Father, NOW!

And here it goes, a God who tells us we can come to him with no added disciplinary action. He allows us to comeback to his arms with no suspension in placed. He does not tell us, “Okay, you can come back to me after your one-week suspension.” He does not require us to go into forced leave or sit down a game out. He only tell us to return to him with repentance, with your whole heart and with your life focus on him alone.

No suspension. No disciplinary action. No buts. No ifs. You can come back to God. Even now.