Month: November 2016

I will

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

Joe 2:18  Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. The LORD answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. “I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard into the eastern sea, and his rear guard into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things. “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield. “Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.  You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

Psalms 46:5
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

Isaiah 12:6
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Leviticus 26:11-12
I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.

Deuteronomy 23:14
Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

“I will be among you,” “I will help you”, “I am jealous for you,” “I will deliver you,” I will walk among you,” and “I will restore you.” These are all promises of God.  Do you ever think God doesn’t care or seems distant? He is ever present and is very near.  There are many things that can separates us from understanding His presence, love, mercy and grace. Scripture states “if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us,” “if we knock He will open the door,” and “if we seek we will find Him”.  When things around us are going well do we seek Him, or draw near to Him?  More than likely it is when the things around us are falling apart, or facing a trial, or something has happened we don’t understand, or when we have tried to handle it on our own and failed.  This is when we start seeking, knocking and trying to find God in the chaos.  What would it feel like to be friends with someone who never has anything to do with you until the day they are in trouble?  Time and time again never wanting anything to do with you until you are their last resort.  The point I am trying to make is that this type of behavior is one sided and is not a relationship. God wants to be the Lord of our life – all of it – all of the time.  He has done great things and had them recorded so that we might know of His power, might, strength, love, mercy, and grace.  He is worthy of our praise, honor, glory, and humble service.  Do you want to know Him more – read His word with desire.  Do you want to see His hand at work in all of your life – Seek Him.  Do you want to have peace, joy, love, rest, and hope – choose to serve Him sincerely every moment of every day.

Consecrate

“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

“It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.”

Joe 2:16
gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.

Job 1:5
And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Genesis 6:5
The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Jeremiah 4:14
O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long shall your wicked thoughts lodge within you?

Acts 8:22
Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

Mark 7:21-23
For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

I copied some comments on consecration from a commentary which brings to light why Joel said to gather all the people from infant to bride groom.  To “consecrate” yourself essentially means to wholly dedicate yourself to something of greatest important. When spoken plainly, however, “consecration” refers to the act of setting yourself aside and dedicating yourself to a deity, and that deity almost always refers to the God of Christianity.  On one hand, we all need to consecrate ourselves once and for all to God. But after our initial consecration, we should live a life of consecration all our days. We can do this by actively practicing to daily give ourselves to the Lord. Each morning when we wake up, we can simply tell the Lord, “Lord, thank You for this new day. I offer myself to You today.” In this way, we maintain a fresh, daily consecration. We can also give ourselves to the Lord afresh at particular points in our lives. For instance, if we’re students, we can give ourselves to the Lord at the beginning of each new school term. Or, if we get a new job or a promotion, we can pray, “Lord, I give this new job to You. It’s not mine but Yours. I belong to You.”  It is one thing to dedicate your life in all you do to God and another to spend no time getting to know and understand Him through His word.  There is no stopping to this learning and growth.  Spend time each day with His word seeking to know Him so that in all you think, say and do honor and glorifies Him.

 

He is faithful

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”

 

Joe 2:12
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?

Deuteronomy 4:29-30
But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey his voice.

1 Samuel 7:3
And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”

Acts 26:20
but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

Hosea 14:1
Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

Zechariah 1:3-4
Therefore say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD.

“Do not be like your fathers – even when I cried out to them they continued in what they were doing and rejected my pleas”  How would you feel if this is what God is telling your wife, your children, your husband about you? I am confident it is impossible to hear His cry and pleas to return when we spend no time in His word.  We will not seek Him for guidance for our day, we will forget what purpose there is in this life, we will be influenced more and more by what seems right in our own eyes or is socially accepted, we will become deaf and blind to His leading.  God knows all of this and proclaims in His word over and over again “Return to me and I will return to you,” “I will deliver you,” “You will find me,” “Search for me with your whole heart,” “Repent,” “I know your heart, thoughts, and intent,” “I love you so much that I will sacrifice my son for you,” “I will give you peace,” “I will give your strength,” “I will be your rock,” “I will guide your path,” and so many more words of warning and blessing.  Be the father, mother, son, daughter that is spoken of by God as one who did right in His eyes.  Be the one who is a light in the darkness.  Be the one who is able to rightly proclaim God’s word.  Spend time in His word today.

Message Declared

“For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”

Joe 2:11
The LORD utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it?

Jeremiah 25:30
“You, therefore, shall prophesy against them all these words, and say to them: “‘The LORD will roar from on high, and from his holy habitation utter his voice; he will roar mightily against his fold, and shout, like those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

Revelation 18:8
For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”

Zephaniah 1:15
A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

Nahum 1:6
Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

1 Thessalonians 4:15
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Malachi
But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

Hebrews 2:2
For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

Numbers 24:23 And he took up his discourse and said, “Alas, who shall live when God does this?

Scripture is full of God’s wrath and coming judgement in equal or greater proportion to His grace, mercy and love.  We talk about the later and quote scripture “For God so loved the world” “Who can separate us from the love of God” “God has steadfast love” very often about His love.  We talk about the what we receive when we come to Him for forgiveness and say “cleansed, peace, joy, hope, love, rest, heaven, eternity”  When I think about this aren’t we diluting how great this grace, mercy and love are when we leave out His righteous judgement?  Think about what is due us “chaos, lost, darkness, without love, pain, hell, separation, alone, without hope, without peace, restless, joyless, always searching”.  Do not lose sight of His coming judgment and what has been freely given to those who choose to come to Him through His son.  Christ was willing to go to the cross to save us from this pending judgement and we should be ever mindful and thankful for both the saving from judgement and blessing through His sacrifice.  Coming to Christ is not to receive an insurance policy from hell.  If this is all that our life reflects we deserve a more severe judgement than those who flat out deny God because we have tasted His grace, love, and mercy and deny it to enter our everyday life.

Garden or Desolate wasteland

“And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.”

Joe 2:3
Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them.

Psalms 50:3
Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.

Amos 7:4
This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, the Lord GOD was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land.

Genesis 2:8
And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

Isaiah 51:3
For the LORD comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.

Gen 1:31
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Gen 2:8
And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.

God created man and planted the garden of Eden. It was pleasant to the sight and good for food.  In fact God saw everything He had made and behold it was very good.  However we see in Joel that the land before them was like the garden of Eden and behind them desolate wilderness.  It seems to me that our lives are somewhat like this.  If our eyes, heart, mind and soul are desiring to humbly serve , honor, and obey Him and continuing to look to God for our strength and guidance we have blessings and hope of a place created for us in eternity.  Alternatively if our eyes, heart, mind and soul are focused on what seems right in our own eyes and not focused on God the only thing that is ahead of us is desolation, waste, and judgement. Knowing this, why would we neglect our calling to serve and obey Him?  I wonder how much of what we approve of is ok’d by our culture and is detestable in the eyes of God.  My wife and I were talking last night about a popular face book personality who has many followers and looked upon for their understanding, knowledge and application of scripture into everyday application.  This person had changed their view on essentials and was condoning something that is not right according to scripture.  It confirms to me that society/culture has influence on even the best of us.  We need to be absolutely sure our actions and stances are based on what God’s word speaks into our heart.  For every stance of obedience there will be multiple corresponding views.  We are going to be held accountable for our walk in this life before God.  The excuse “I thought what so and so said was true and I followed it” or “everyone else was doing it” or “it was ok by law” will not be an excuse before God.  We have at our finger tips more access to scripture than anytime in history yet we choose to neglect this blessing from God.  We will be held accountable for this neglect.  Today choose to find purpose, meaning, hope, joy, love, peace, etc… each day through reading His word with the single purpose of knowing Him and how to honor and glorify Him more and more.

The Day is Near

“Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.”

 

Joe 1:15
Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes

Joel 2:1
Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,

Psa 37:13
but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.

Isaiah 13:6-9
Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.

Ezekiel 7:3
Now the end is upon you, and I will send my anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations.
And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, but I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

James 5:9
Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

Revelation 6:17
for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

I wonder if our commitment to God would be different if we looked at God’s wrath rather than His love.  Think about what is in store for those who have not heard, or have neglected/rejected, or who are just playing christianity. If we believe in His love because of what is told to us about it in scripture then we also have to believe in His coming wrath.  If we believe in His coming wrath and what will happen to those who don’t believe wouldn’t our heart ache to reach them?  How would we reach out to them?  God’s word says “how can they believe unless they hear, and how can they hear unless someone tells them.”  How can we reach out to someone if the word of God is not in our heart?  How can we talk of God and the great things He has done, is doing, and will do if we do not spend time in His word?  How can we be led by God in our conversations and be a light unto a dark world if we do not spend time in His word?  How do we tell others of what God is doing in our lives if we are not spending time in His word?  How do we know His promises of blessing, judgement, and wrath if we do not spend time in His word?  How do we hear that quiet small voice pleading to lead us if we do not spend time in His word?  Scripture says that His word is sharper than a double edged sword and can divide between our thoughts and intends.  If we say our hearts desire is to live to humbly serve and honor God -How can this happen if we are not in His word?  EXACTLY we can not at all expect any of this understanding, knowledge, heart directing and leading if we do not spend time in His word.  Try spending just two days this week reading His word for 5 minutes and write down what God is telling your heart for 5 minutes.  I pray His Holy Spirit will open our heart and mind to an ever increasing and wonderfully deep understanding of His grace, mercy and love.