“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.