Turn Around or Turn Back

“And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, and those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom, and those who have turned back from following the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him.” Zephaniah 1:5-6 NASB Turned back…

Fearful Recall

“Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, the love of your betrothals, your following after Me in the wilderness, through a land not sown.’’” Jeremiah 2:2 NASB I remember – I have been reading the devotional by Oswald Chambers for many decades….

Double Whammy (rerun)

Repent, therefore, and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.  Acts 3:19 NASB Return – We know the word for repent.  It is a word that means to change your direction.  In Hebrew, it means distress that causes us to act…

Fitness Formula

He restores my soul; he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:3 Hebrew World Restores – David was just out of touch. If he really wanted restoring, he would have grabbed a PowerAde or an energy bar. He might have taken extra multi-vitamins or gone to the doctor to…

Not a Moment Too Soon

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.”  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.  Revelation 22:20  NASB Quickly – I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t seem too quickly to me.  Two thousand years and counting.  Maybe God’s idea of quick is completely irrelevant to ours.  There are plenty of days when…

Hebrew “Conversion”

“Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19 NASB (1963) Repent/return/wiped away – What do you think about Peter’s declaration? Is he asking his audience to become Christians by acknowledging Jesus as the Christ or is…

Ping-Pong Repentance

“Come, let us return to the LORD, for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.”  Hosea 6:1  ESV Return – “Although ‘in their distress’ (5:15) the Israelites do indeed resolve ‘come, let us return to Yahweh’ (6:1), the people are not really…

Once More Only

For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved,
 in quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing, . .  Isaiah 30:15  NASB Repentance – Once before we looked at this verse, but we didn’t mention that the Hebrew word shuva…

The Return of Reason

“But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
 And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.”  Daniel 4:34  NASB Returned – Nebuchadnezzar…

What Should I Do With You?

“You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD: When men fall, do they not rise again?  If one turns away, does he not return?”  Jeremiah 8:4  ESV Turns away/return – Doesn’t God’s broken heart ache for His children?  It’s difficult for us to imagine what that pain must be.  The perfect Father who wishes…