Even Now…

Joel 2:12
“Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Contemporary English Version
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.

Joel’s chapter two begins with a strange and scary sight. A sight of God punishing sinners and sins by sending an unstoppable army of locusts to ravage the land. The description up to verse eleven is all scary and hopeless.

Chapter two up to verse eleven is hopeless. The guilty sinners are left feeling like it’s too late to repent. The guilty sinners seem to only have the option of waiting for their painful fate. It is a moment of regret and it seems nothing else can happen.

At this moment of despair, the word of the LORD comes in a timely and relieving manner. Our text today brings hope. God tells them that even now they can repent and be forgiven. Even now you can complete payments. Even now God can stop this punishment and the attendant haranguing. Even now….

Even now means that it’s not too late. It’s not too late to confess and repent. It’s not too late to call on Jesus. It’s not too late to pray. It’s not too late to return to regular worship. It’s not too late to be an active member of the church. It’s not too late to start giving tithes and offerings. Even now you can repent, that means it’s not too late. Even now….

Genesis 6:3
Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

At the time of Noah, God set a boundary. God said the Holy Spirit will plead with people until they reach repentance. God makes it clear that the Holy Spirit will not plead with us or contend with us forever. There is an opportunity now but someday it will be forever too late. God tells the people of Joel’s time that though punishment has begun, for now, it’s not too late to repent. Even now….!

The commencement of punishment is a warning from a caring God that we shouldn’t forget Him. That is why before anyone despairs, He tells them, even now you can repent. Even now…

Revelation 22:11
Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

A time is coming in the future when it will be too late to repent. The words of this book of Revelation will be pronounced by God. At that time, it will be too late to repent. But for now, it’s not too late. Even now….

Sermons will not always be there. Messages from God will not always reach you. Someday even this message will cease coming. Churches will cease services. At that time it will be too late to ask for God’s word. The best thing we can do is to respond to God now, yes, even now!

Are you suffering for something wrong that you did? Even now you can repent. Even now you can be forgiven. Even now it’s not too late. Even now…

Do you feel and think you have gone too far from God? Do you feel your sins are too much and forgiveness may be difficult? God has a message for you. Tomorrow may be too late to repent and return to God. The right time is now. Even now… Accept us now dear God, even now… in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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