Take this day to catch up on your reading, pray, and rest in the presence of the Lord.
Tear your hearts,
not just your clothes,
and return to the LORD your God.
For he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, abounding in faithful love,
and he relents from sending disaster.
—Joel 2:13
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46 thoughts on "Grace Day"
Hey all, I wanted to update on my mother in law. Things were worse in her house than expected. We were worried about her poor air quality due to the wildfires. We got there, she wasn’t home, but we let ourselves in. And immediately walked right back out. Her fridge wasn’t working and there was rotten meat everywhere and apparently her septic system quit working “a while” ago. While she was out we filled trash bag after trash bag of rotten food. Honestly, I think it was really good she wasn’t there when we arrived. When she got home, we had already got the purifier going and had gotten all of the rotten food out. We will make a call Monday to have trash come pick it up. She was initially upset we had come up but also seemed to be grateful too. My husband did a great job talking to her. We were able to call emergency septic service and they pumped her system and will be back on Wednesday to install a new pump. I’m attempting to block out the smells and images we saw there. We initially were going to stay up the weekend. But ultimately came home last night because we weren’t sure what we could do. I’m ordering her a new fridge and microwave (she accepted us doing this).We will go up to help her get situated when they deliver. Ultimately it went much better with his mom than expected. My husband is going Friday to bring her down for the weekend here. Thank you so much for praying. I believe my BIL is going to be looking into getting a social worker to check on her more frequently and we are going to try to go up there monthly to help out. It’s not perfect but I think she will (finally) let us help her.
Sounds like all worked as well as it could have. Good for all of you pitching in
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NIV: Gracious. Compassionate. SLOW to anger. Abounding in love. All characteristics that as a believer in Jesus, I should have. I fail daily, YET my JESUS continues to extend grace towards me. The Message reads: “Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God.” Makes me think how quickly I can just change my outfit thinking that’s all I need to do to set an example, BUT my God sees my heart, my yucky heart and thoughts, YET continues to show me grace, compassion and is VERY patient with me and continues to LOVE me! I’m so glad that I said YES to Jesus that on Spring day on May 5, 1984! Best day ever!
My son…just left this morning. He will be back this evening. He is dropping off most of his belongings at his apartment in SF. He will come back and stay a couple of more nights here and his first day will be Tuesday. Sigh…. I remind myself, Caleb belongs to God, and I get to be his mom and I’m so glad GOD chose me to be his mom! I love him to the moon and back. I love him forever……
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Amen
Once again, we can see the heart of God in this verse. In response to our sincere repentance, He is compassionate, gracious, abounding in faithful love, slow to anger and relenting from sending disaster! He is not waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us. He desires for us to repent and turn to Him.
I love this!
Praying for all!
I can’t add a thing to what you SHES have already said. Thank you for your comnemts!
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I came across this song last night and thought it went well with yesterday’s focus.
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SONG SHARE:
Spirit Of The Living God – Josh Baldwin (Official Video)
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And this goes well with today’s focus- repentance:
Lead Us To Repentance • Official Video
@SovereignGraceMusic.
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Love, hugs, and prayers! ❤
One more song (new):
Matthew West – Back To Jesus (Lyric Video)
Our prodigals came to mind this morning as I was reading this verse. Return to the Lord your God. Praying our growing list of prodigals would return to Him because they see His compassion and faithful love. As I think of my daughter, who is on our list, it reminds me to show her compassion, patience, and faithful love as I wait for her to return to the Lord and to our family.
Amen. Praying for your daughter
Surface level, shallow confessions are just not enough. I need to have a sincere recognition ofmy sin, how it separates it from God and deeply grieves his heart and confess. It SHOULD tear my heart and I think all to often, it does not. He longs for us to return to Him, with confession, genuine repentance and His compassion and love are waiting for us. What a gracious God we serve.
I appreciate your continued prayers and am still really struggling with being unwell. I have had no symptom relief at all nor have my doctors been able to pinpoint that cause. I am in the middle of some 24 lab testing requested by my endocrinologist and so we are hopeful that we get some definitive answers and clarity from these. Please pray for wisdom for my medical team as they collaborate and try to get to the bottom of things, for symptom relief for me, for energy, strength and sleep – I am exhausted and that God’s hand will be seen, He glorified through this whole set back. Thank you
Wendy, the way you still hold on to God and continue to bless us here is a testament to your faith. I pray in agreement with you in this collaborative attempt to identify the cause of your symptoms, for wisdom, intuition, research skills, answers! Love you, sister! ❤
Amen. yes, I love that you Show Up here every day Wendy! I know the feeling of that chronic, every day hard to move and have any energy or motive to do anything.
Praying, Wendy!
Praying, Wendy ❤️
Praying Wendy ❤️
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turn back to God
God sees our true selves. He longs to be gracious and compassionate because His very nature is slow to anger and abounding in faithful love. “Faithful love”. He loves not as the world does – loving us one minute, hating us the next. His love is faithful, it’s everlasting, it’s abounding. Why should we not tear our hearts over our sin, the very thing that separates us from Him? I love that our Father pleads with us to turn from our sin and return to Him, He doesn’t cast us aside when we mess up, He waits for us to come.
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Gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love – that’s our God!
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Happy Saturday She’s! ❤️
Amen ❤️
❤
GM, Happy Saturday She’s!
Tear your hearts not just your clothes…inward vs outward. Something I never got considering I grew up in church, I just thought I was automatically a “Christian” because…I was! I did love Jesus and knew he was the ticket to heaven. But I couldn’t fully understand it until decades later when I fully realized that I too, was as filthy rags. At that point my sin hurt me that I was prideful and lived for myself rather than Jesus. He was definitely not the Lord of my life, I was living on my own terms, my own way, which in my eyes was pretty good….you know….compared to “those other people!”
I was kinda the “older son” for my teen years, then definitely went off to have my fun in my 20’s. I found myself in the pigpen constantly. Finally I hit my knees and rended my clothes and my heart. For I had fallen in the pit and didn’t see a way out. I knew Jesus then was my help in my time of listlessness. I called upon him and knew he would see me through.
He was gracious and compassionate, loving me dearly, not wanting me to hurt. Wanting me to turn to him. I could have reached for alcohol (which I did some nights), I could have reached out to men (which I did some nights), I could have reached for many solaces…But God, He was the only answer. And he lovingly brought me to the land of milk and honey.
I love to give my testament…Jesus Saves…indeed he does. But we have to want him, we have to choose him, we have to submit and obey him. Not perfect, but an earnest heart. Seeking and finding, asking and receiving, knocking for open doors that lead to him.
I looked up Laura today, hoping to write to her in Tx. But apparently you can’t write. Her court date is in a couple of weeks. Praying that she has continued to seek the Lord and growing her relationship with him.
Oh Rhonda, thank you for sharing your testimony! God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love! I wouldn’t be His child if it wasn’t true because done of us are worthy of His forgiveness.
Thank you, Rhonda! Love you for sharing so openly! ❤
“in my eyes was pretty good….you know….compared to “those other people!””
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Oh boy, me too.
The more I learn, study, grow (God opening my eyes) the more I see what a sinner in need of a savior I am… Now… Let alone back then in my youth. Oof. :/
Praise Jesus for his saving sacrifice!
True repentance is what He wants…for us to come close. When you love someone, you hurt for what hurts them. And when we love Him, we do what He says. He wants a relationship with us, not rules, not religion…He wants our heart!
Anguish over our sin is not our go-to response. Since the Garden we tend to make excuses or point fingers. Lord help us.
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SEARCHING – so saddened about the seemingly impossible situation with June and Ann. Praying God shows her a way to make a visit. How is CC doing?
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SHARON JERSEY GIRL – have you any updates on Zab? Continued prayers for his safety on his deployment.
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RHONDA J – continuing to pray for you and your family. Did Tosha have her court date? (sorry if I missed an update).
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ELEANOR LUXTON – praying your PhD work is coming together for you.
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MARINA S – continued prayers for your husband’s job search.
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LAUREN M and CAROLINE- continued prayers for healthy full-time pregnancy.
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LISA H – how is Andrew doing? Are the new meds shrinking the brain tumor?
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KIRA HESS – how is Debbie’s recovery coming along?
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MEGAN – has you BIL found a new job?
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HEATHER H – may God’s wisdom be with you as you visit your mom this weekend
Thank you Kelly for asking. I have heard nothing, so I feel – no news is good news!
Praying over these requests!
Hello Kelly (NEO)! Thanks so much for asking about Andrew (my dear friend’s 10-year-old son with a brain tumor). Andrew’s family will find out this month if the new medicine is shrinking the tumor, so great timing in your question. His seizure activity has died down thankfully, but he is still getting headaches, and is scheduled for surgery in August to replace the shunt, to hopefully alleviate the pain. Anyone wanting to follow along more closely, the family has a web site with updates: andrew(dot)is
(put a period where I typed, dot)
Thank you all for the continued prayers.
TINA’s comment ❤️ “God calls for total sincerity, true humility, and a wholehearted return to Him, no ‘wishwash’ watered down version of repentance, knowing He is gracious and forgiving… always, when we repent.”
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KIMBERLY Z ❤️
MERCY ❤️ “So when the wages of sin show up at your door, a package from the devil, a collection notice demanding you pay a debt that’s already been settled, don’t sign for it. Don’t take that package inside. Now ignorance isn’t bliss, but costly.” We encounter SO many “packages” from satan and take them into our hearts and minds without any caution or care – ignorant as you pointed out. Our young people especially do this in the form of social media or mindless scrolling – without the maturity and knowledge to realize 1) the majority isn’t true or is an outright lie and 2) the mental and emotional damage repeated exposure can cause.
Lord, praying the lost will turn to you.
MARI V ❤️ praying for your son’s move and new job, and that he stays close to the Lord in SF
CEE GEE ❤️
B ❤️
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Tear your hearts,
not just your clothes,
and return to the LORD your God.
For he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, abounding in faithful love and he relents from sending disaster.
.
The first line of this verse had my heart doing a double somersault, oh lord, not because I was happy but beause I was afraid. scared, frightened..
Let’s face it.. ‘tear at your heart’
is not something that sounds promising.. Right…?
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.BUT GOD..
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I looked up ‘tear your heart’ and this is what I found..
In the Bible, “tear your heart” (often translated as “rend your heart”) means rto have genuine, inward repentance and sincere sorrow for sin. Found in Joel 2:13, it contrasts with the ancient custom of tearing one’s clothing in grief, emphasizing that God desires internal transformation over mere outward religious performance.In ancient Israel, tearing or “rending” garments was a visible, cultural sign of mourning, deep distress, or repentance. However, the prophet Joel was warning the people that these outward displays could easily become empty rituals or hypocritical performances.When God says, “tear your heart and not your garments,” He is calling for:Total Sincerity: A brokenness over sin that comes from the inside out.True Humility: A vulnerable and honest approach to God, exposing your faults without trying to hide them behind an external show of piety.Wholehearted Return: A complete turning away from sin and toward God’s grace and compassion.
Thankful gor that explanation, as now I can understand without fear, that God gives me hope in those words, and an opportunity to come to my senses and return to Him, in repentance ans a rendering of the heart..
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God calls for total sincerity, true humility, and a wholehearted return to Him, no ‘wishwash’ watered down version of repentance, knowing He is gracious and forgiving… always, when we repent.
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AMEN.
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Happiest of Saturdays dear hearts.. Be blessed whatever and wherever you my find yourselves today..
Much love and prayers..
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Tinax
So good! Thank you, sister ❤️
Thanks Tina :-*
Amen
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Thank you Tjna
So good, Tina! Thanks for your research share! ❤
❤️. Thanks for that definition!
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Amen❤️
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