Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:13
Today in Sunday School we looked at the second chapter of the book - Compelled by Love.
I was so caught by the first sentence in this verse from Joel that I had a bit of a hard time keeping up with the rest of the conversation.
Rend your hearts and not garments.
To rend means to tear. What if my heart was truly torn in repentance for my sometimes uncaring attitude toward the will of God and the lack of true love I sometimes have toward those around me?
What if, instead of these unfruitful attitudes, I instead showed graciousness, compassion, patience and love?
Not just talked about it (rending my garments) but lived it (rending my heart)?
There is a difference.
Funny that you were stopped by the first sentence today. I was stopped short by "Compelled by Love" in your post above. Am I truly compelled by love? Daily? I know I want to be! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteTo me, when I see that sentence, I see this meaning: Give what really matters. What really matters? Love. Compassion. Grace.
ReplyDeleteI love this verse in the Message veresion also: Joel 2:13 Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to GOD, your God. And here's why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe.
ReplyDeleteRight when I first started to read your post I was stopped short by that verse, "Rend your hearts and not your garments." That's what I love about reading scripture in small bits -- I find it stops me in my tracks and leaves me contemplating the Word more fully and deeply.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this!