Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Finding God in the Aftermath of Crisis - Part 1



Joel 1:1-3 “The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this, you elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell your children about it, let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

In our churches study of the books of the Minor Prophets, Pastor Kyle began a Sunday sermon series in the book of Joel. Sometimes, it seems that life is in a cycle like a well written dramatic movie, of disaster to crisis to resolution to aftermath to restoration to looming disaster. But, walking with God in righteousness is the way to produce a steadfast spirit that transforms and brings true peace in life. The book of Joel starts with the people just experiences a devastating locust attack that laid waste to the land and wiped our everything. But, things were about to get worse because an enemy’s army sent from God was on its way against the nation of Israel. When we are right with God, we welcome the Day of the Lord. But, when we are unrighteous before God, we dread the Day of the Lord. Whether they know and understand or not, it is horrifying and worrisome for the unrighteous; the people not walking with the Lord.

Isaiah 1:16-20 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword”; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

The Lord is not a God of wrath, but must punish sin. His message to us is simply that if we do “this”, then “that is going to happen (blessings or curses). Pretty straight forward, follow and obey God, then He will take care of you. Don’t and we will pay the consequences. But, sometimes, despite a parents warning, we, like a child, have to learn by touching the hot oven door. Pastor Kyle explained how to find God in the midst of and aftermath of crisis. (1) Take a good hard look in the mirror. Call “wrong” wrong or “sin” sin and do the “right” thing. See God for who He truly is, then take a journey inside yourself to compare. If you find and see something wrong in your heart, mind or soul, then stop doing it. Tear your heart (inwardly) and not your garments (outwardly). The Lord is concerned with what is happening on the inside. Stop any cycle of sin begins with the first step. Confess your sin and start to make better decisions  which are right in the eyes of the Lord. Get help if required.

Let’s continue Pastor Kyle message from the book of Joel in the next post.
In Christ, Brian   

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