Repentance

As you read throughout the Bible, which is a collection of various works of Jewish and Christian writings across several hundred years, you learn a lot about God. One of the themes I have noticed before but am really picking up in my devotions tonight is the forgiving nature of God. I keep running into passages in Isaiah and Jeremiah in which the nation of Israel has continually rebelled against God by sinning, worshipping other gods, and not obeying the Lord. Yet in spite of all this the Lord keeps offering to take them back. It is like the most forgiving husband of a wayward wife you could possibly imagine. He truly wants her back. Here are a couple of examples.

Jeremiah 4:1 "If you will return, O Israel, return to me," declares the LORD.
4:14 "O Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?"

Saving mankind is what Christ did when he died on the cross to take away our sins. God our Creator loves us so much that he can't help but show his redeeming nature throughout scripture just like in those two passages above.

You just have to sit back in awe when you see how evil people have been in the Bible and then how God offers to forgive them. When we apply this to our own lives it really brings a humbling, quiet, gratitude toward the Lord. He offers these same outstretched arms to each of us... its just so kind, so humbling, and so loving that it is hard to fully appreciate.