The Three R’s of Returning to the Lord with All Our Hearts

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Text: Joel 2:12-17

Joel 2:12-13

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
    “return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
¹³     and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
    and he relents over disaster.

(ESV)

It is common for the news to have someone caught in some or mistake scandal issuing an apology for what they have done.  We typically take the persons words at face value because we are not God and therefore, cannot see what is in the person’s heart.  However, when repenting and confessing sins to God who can read the contents of our hearts, it is crucial that the repentance be from our heart and not just regret over being caught in some sin. 

God is aware of the sins of Israel and if not for His grace, the nation may have suffered total devastation, but the grace of God does have limits, limits Israel is about to reach leading to exile.  The destructive attack of the locusts was a warning providing a chance for Israel to repent but history reports Israel failed to heed the warning and would go into exile (2 Kings 25:1-21).  However, God remains gracious by not destroying Israel while in exile but using that time to bring Israel to repentance and according to God’s promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14, returns Israel to the Promised Land (Ezra 2).  Likewise, our sins are fully known by God, requiring a heartfelt return to God.  A heartfelt return to God bringing revival in our world requires,

1)      Repentance (2 Chronicles 7:14) – The word repentance means one making a 180-degree about-face in behavior.  It is beyond a regret at being caught in some impropriety or sin and a desire not to repeat the sin again.  Unfortunately, this level of commitment to a change in one's lifestyle away from sin is absent in modern culture with people desiring the freedom to do whatever they want.  Sadly, even some churches teach a Gospel of total mercy and grace with one simply making a decision for Christ receiving a free pass to continue in sin.  While God is gracious to sinners which include all of us (Romans 3:23), believing God’s grace is a free pass to sin is not biblical (Romans 6:1-14) and is actually one using God because their real heart's desire is to live in sin. 

2)      Renewed commitment (Romans 8:11; 12:1-2) – True repentance should be followed by a commitment of obedience to the Word of God.  A truly repentant person should have a desire to live a life of obedience to God and His Word through presentation of ourselves to serve God and continual transformation of our thinking from that of the world to following Godly principles (Romans 12:1-2).  However we must remember that this is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit which lives within all that have Jesus as their savior (Romans 8:11).  The transformation of Peter from one denying Christ out of fear to one boldly declaring the Gospel to some of the same people previously calling for the crucifixion of Christ is an example of a renewed life (Matthew 26:69-75; Acts 2:14-41).  This level of commitment after repentance is crucial to bringing revival to a lost world.

3)      Responding with service (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20; James 2:20) – James 2:20 reminds us that faith without action is dead or useless.  Jesus’ final words before ascending to God the Father was to take the Gospel to the nations and make disciples.  The early church, many of whom actually witnessed the risen Lord (1 Corinthians 15:6) did this and turned their world upside down (Acts 17:6).  Commitment to faith followed by action has the power to transform lives and change the world. 

Like the early church, the church today has a calling, and the potential through Christ to turn the world upside down and bring revival.  It is time for the church to prepare by exercising the three R’s of renewal, repentance, renewed commitment, and response to the call of Jesus to spread the gospel and make disciples (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).  I urge all reading this who are believers in Jesus as their savior to repent of any unrepentant sin in their lives, make a renewed commitment, and then go and spread the Gospel in words, and deeds.  As each believer makes this commitment, the church can turn its world upside down just as the early church did in Acts 17:6.