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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