relent

Today, choose life.

Relent, and He may relent. Turn, and He will turn.

Choose the way of calamity and you'll experience calamity. Choose the way of releasing your grip on calamity and you'll experience the way of relenting concerning calamity.

It's not that revolutionary. And yet it is... Or else we wouldn't be surprised so often...

Calamity in the book of Jonah literally means evil, bad, wicked and it brought a very realistic fear of perishing. And in the book of Jonah it was because of rebellion.

Choose the way of calamity and you'll experience calamity.

Please hear what I'm saying and not what I'm not saying. Just because you have experienced calamity, evil, bad things or wickedness does not in any way necessarily mean that you chose it. This world is broken into pieces and groans. Any one of us can choose the way of calamity and it not only affects us, but others. And even this earth itself groans and longs to be made new.

But you can see clearly in Scripture that if you choose calamity, it's a surefire way to guarantee that you're going to experience it to some extent.

The Lord says today, choose life. He sets before us life and death, two alternate paths. And He asks us to choose life that we, and those who come after us, may live! (Deuteronomy 30:15-20)

Today, in this moment, choose life, obey His voice, hold fast to Him!

"let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish." (Jonah 3:8-9)

I can't help but believe this is the answer to our groaning.

And our cries then can shift to thankfulness because the Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. (Jonah 4:2)

Luke 15 shows us that He lavishly relents. He graciously turns toward. He relentlessly pursues the one. And when we turn home, even when we are a long way off, He sees, He feels compassion, and runs to embrace us.

And as a dear friend marveled yesterday, Leviticus 26 is so wonderful because it talks about "how much He will redeem them and not forget His covenant if they turn back and return to Him." He keeps His promises, even when we don't keep ours.

May we realize right now, this very moment, He sets before us life! And when we choose life, we live. Fully alive! Not merely existing. Turn home. Relent.