The Lord said:
It isn't too late.
You can still return to me
with all your heart.
Start crying and mourning!
Go without eating.
Don't rip your clothes
to show your sorrow.
Instead, turn back to me
with broken hearts.
I am merciful, kind, and caring.
I don't easily lose my temper,
and I don't like to punish.
I am the Lord your God.
Perhaps I will change my mind
and treat you with mercy.
Then you will be blessed
with enough grain and wine
for offering sacrifices to me.
Joel 2:12-14
What is the difference in returning to the Lord and returning to the Lord "with all your heart?" When you come back to God "with all your heart" you have taken everything else off of the throne of your life. Idols do not go away by themselves. They are not alive and will not remove themselves from their place in your heart. Idols must be cast out of your heart so you can return to the Lord with all of it!
When you return to God with all your heart you leave none of your heart with any other god! You bring it all to God. Sin is fundamentally a matter of the heart. In order to sin you must rip a piece of your heart away from God and dedicate it to something else. So when you do come back to God it is always with a "broken heart" in need of healing and repair.
When you come back to Jesus with your broken heart, the Great Physician does the most amazing heart surgery ever imagined. Jesus heals your heart and restores you to your place in His heart!
"Lord Jesus, so many times I have given part of my heart to something other than You. I come back now to You with all my heart. Heal and restore my heart and help me to never wander away again. Thank You Jesus. Amen."
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