God's Return Policy
By J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
01/04/2021
“Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.” Indeed, we do come to You, for You are the LORD our God. (Jeremiah 3:22)
The week after Christmas is the busiest time of year for stores when it comes to returns. Customer service counters are typically plagued with long lines filled with people returning unwanted gifts. Retailers anticipate an increase in returns this time of year. In fact, during the Christmas shopping season, when gift-buying is at its peak, many retailers provide purchasers with two receipts. The additional receipt is called a “gift receipt.” This allows you to include a receipt with your gift so that the recipient can return it if he or she does not like it.
I recall an experience I had one time during an outing that happened to coincide with the last-minute Christmas shopping rush. It was a few days before Christmas, and I made a quick run to the store to buy paper towels. When I checked out, the cashier gave me a gift receipt. Thinking this was strange, I looked at her and said, “Ma’am, I know I don’t look like the most creative person in the world, but do you really think I’m planning to give paper towels as a Christmas gift?” She smiled and replied, “Everybody gets a gift receipt.”
It seems as though returns have become a routine part of the Christmas experience in our culture. Have you ever been to Walmart the day after Christmas? If you are planning to make a return, you better pack a lunch! It is amazing how fickle we have become in our society. If you don’t want something, you just take it back. It is as simple as that. Yet, while it may be easy to return that unwanted electric mustache comb from Aunt Martha, there is one thing that is often difficult for us to return.
The prophet Jeremiah talks about how reluctant we are to return our hearts to God. Ten times in Jeremiah chapter three, the prophet uses the word “return” as he pleaded with the nation of Judah to come back to the Lord, but God’s people stubbornly refused. Consequently, God’s discipline came upon the people in 586 BC when Jerusalem fell to the invading Babylonians.
Before you return something you must first decide you do not like it. No one returns gifts they like. We return gifts that we do not like, or the ones that do not work, or do not fit, etc. Our devotion to God follows a similar pattern. Before we can return our hearts to Him, we have to decide we do not like our sin. As long as we like our sin, we will never return to God in full, faithful devotion. Sin has pleasure for a season, which makes it hard to realize that we really do not want it after all. Sin is like a new shirt that fits great at first, but then after you wash it, it shrinks and becomes uncomfortable.
Jeremiah called on the people of God to return their hearts to Him. “Your sin does not work,” he cried. “It does not fit.” God’s people never look good in sin. Someone has said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go; keep you longer than you want to stay; and cost you more than you want to pay.” What do you have that needs to be returned to God today? Is it your thought life? Your pride? Your bad habits?
Fortunately, God has a generous lifetime return policy. The great thing about returning our hearts to God is that we all received a spiritual “gift receipt” at the moment we were saved in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is always ready to intercede on our behalf if we would only come to God in repentance, give up our sin, and return our hearts to Him. Furthermore, there are no lines to fight at the throne room in heaven. Everyone gets to go right to the front of the line, lay their burdens and sins down, and receive a fresh start. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
01/04/2021
“Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.” Indeed, we do come to You, for You are the LORD our God. (Jeremiah 3:22)
The week after Christmas is the busiest time of year for stores when it comes to returns. Customer service counters are typically plagued with long lines filled with people returning unwanted gifts. Retailers anticipate an increase in returns this time of year. In fact, during the Christmas shopping season, when gift-buying is at its peak, many retailers provide purchasers with two receipts. The additional receipt is called a “gift receipt.” This allows you to include a receipt with your gift so that the recipient can return it if he or she does not like it.
I recall an experience I had one time during an outing that happened to coincide with the last-minute Christmas shopping rush. It was a few days before Christmas, and I made a quick run to the store to buy paper towels. When I checked out, the cashier gave me a gift receipt. Thinking this was strange, I looked at her and said, “Ma’am, I know I don’t look like the most creative person in the world, but do you really think I’m planning to give paper towels as a Christmas gift?” She smiled and replied, “Everybody gets a gift receipt.”
It seems as though returns have become a routine part of the Christmas experience in our culture. Have you ever been to Walmart the day after Christmas? If you are planning to make a return, you better pack a lunch! It is amazing how fickle we have become in our society. If you don’t want something, you just take it back. It is as simple as that. Yet, while it may be easy to return that unwanted electric mustache comb from Aunt Martha, there is one thing that is often difficult for us to return.
The prophet Jeremiah talks about how reluctant we are to return our hearts to God. Ten times in Jeremiah chapter three, the prophet uses the word “return” as he pleaded with the nation of Judah to come back to the Lord, but God’s people stubbornly refused. Consequently, God’s discipline came upon the people in 586 BC when Jerusalem fell to the invading Babylonians.
Before you return something you must first decide you do not like it. No one returns gifts they like. We return gifts that we do not like, or the ones that do not work, or do not fit, etc. Our devotion to God follows a similar pattern. Before we can return our hearts to Him, we have to decide we do not like our sin. As long as we like our sin, we will never return to God in full, faithful devotion. Sin has pleasure for a season, which makes it hard to realize that we really do not want it after all. Sin is like a new shirt that fits great at first, but then after you wash it, it shrinks and becomes uncomfortable.
Jeremiah called on the people of God to return their hearts to Him. “Your sin does not work,” he cried. “It does not fit.” God’s people never look good in sin. Someone has said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go; keep you longer than you want to stay; and cost you more than you want to pay.” What do you have that needs to be returned to God today? Is it your thought life? Your pride? Your bad habits?
Fortunately, God has a generous lifetime return policy. The great thing about returning our hearts to God is that we all received a spiritual “gift receipt” at the moment we were saved in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is always ready to intercede on our behalf if we would only come to God in repentance, give up our sin, and return our hearts to Him. Furthermore, there are no lines to fight at the throne room in heaven. Everyone gets to go right to the front of the line, lay their burdens and sins down, and receive a fresh start. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
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