Amos 1- Gods Protection

 ”He said: The Lord roars from Zion and makes his voice heard from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the summit of Carmel withers. The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Damascus for three crimes, even four, because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges.“

‭‭Amos‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This chapter demonstrates Gods intense love and care for His people, Israel. He lists out the nations around them who have devastated them or abused their people…God is not letting those bullies off the hook.  God will protect Israel and unleash furry on their enemies.

This is the unfailing love of a father or big brother to protect their family…sometimes I forget about Gods protection.  I get distracted to think only about how He wants me to think or act.  I get so caught up in attempting to do good on my own that I forget that God is for me.  That God is on my side, rooting for me.  That God is actively fighting against my enemies (my freshly desires, the worlds influence and the forces of Satan).

God help me to remember all of who You are.  Help me to recall the fighting you do for me and the great love you have for me.  Remind me that you are for me, and desire my protection. Help me to live in light of your Faithfulness!

Joel 3- Perfect Timing

 ”Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the streams of Judah will flow with water, and a spring will issue from the Lord’s house, watering the Valley of Acacias.“

‭‭Joel‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬, ‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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God it telling His people that at a specific time, He will accomplish all that is prophesied, both the punishment and the blessing.  It will not happen until the timing is perfect…

If I am honest, Gods timing rarely lines up with mine…When He does things quickly, I wish He would have waited longer…When He is working slowly, I beg for Him to move faster!  I often wonder if He is doing anything at all!  However, when I look back and have some perspective, I see that EVERY TIME: His timing is perfect!!!

Lord, help me to trust Your timeline…give me eyes to see how You are working and faith to trust You when I can’t see it.  You are always faithful.  You are always good.  You are always working things for my growth and blessing.  Help me to trust Your timing and rest in knowing You have perfect timing!

Joel.2-Repentance and Blessing

 ”Even now — this is the Lord’s declaration — turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind him, so you can offer a grain offering and a drink offering to the Lord your God. 

I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust ate, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust — my great army that I sent against you. You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied. You will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. My people will never again be put to shame. You will know that I am present in Israel and that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other. My people will never again be put to shame.“

‭‭Joel‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭14‬, ‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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The description of total destruction continues with a terrifying image of a shadowy army decimating everything in its path…then suddenly the narrative is interrupted by good news: “turn to the Lord with your whole being”!  Don’t make a show of it on the outside, but really make the changes on the inside.  That is what the Lord wants!

Joel goes on to say that if we repent, God will bless us by restoring all the things we had lost in our rebellion. He will make Himself known to us and we will live in satisfaction.

Lord, You know my heart…You know that when I was attempting to chase after what seemed right to me, it never led to satisfaction…always to needing more.  Now, You have changed my heart, changed my desires, and brought me peace.  You are near and guide me and continue to bless me in so many ways.  Thank You!

Joel 1- Monumental Moments

 ”Hear this, you elders; listen, all you inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors? Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children the next generation. What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten.“

‭‭Joel‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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I thought Hosea was bad…Joel starts off with utter destruction of everything good.  Not like Job where he loses all he has, this destruction is of all there is and even the future potential for anything life giving.

God tells Joel to pass on this horrible message that will have lasting impact…so devastating that your great, great grandchildren will talk about it.  It will shape 5 generations (or more) of Israelites (technically more than that because we are talking about it today!).

I want my great, great grandkids to hear about things in my lifetime, but I want them to be positive and lovely.  Lord, help me to follow you so closely that people generations later will hear stories about the awesome work You have done.  I don’t need anyone to remember me, but let me participate in your incredible transformation of our family, our church, our city, our state, country and world!

Hosea 14- Reality Accepted

 ”Israel, return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity. Take words of repentance with you and return to the Lord. Say to him, “Forgive all our iniquity and accept what is good, so that we may repay you with praise from our lips. Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses, and we will no longer proclaim, ‘Our gods! ’ to the work of our hands. For the fatherless receives compassion in you.”“

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This is a beautiful scene…the reality of Israel finally sinks in.  They see God for who He is, and accept the reality that He is the only one they can trust.  They cannot trust in their own abilities, they can’t trust in other people around them, they can’t trust that things will “just work out”, they can’t trust in going the way that seems best to them…all of these lead to destruction.  It may not be instant, but it is guaranteed.

Accepting the reality of where you actually are is a huge turning point.  Let’s all stop the pretending and open our eyes to see what is really around us and what got us to this point.

Lord help me take off my rose colored glasses and see things from Your perspective.  Help me to see the futility of my efforts and plans, and allow me to see clearly the path You have for me.  I need You to do this for me because no matter how hard I try, I don’t t see it. My way is lit up like a 6 lane highway, and Your way is a peaceful trail through the woods near a calming stream…and that is the reality I desire!

Hosea 13- I Need You

 ”I have been the Lord your God ever since the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and no Savior exists besides me. 

I fed you in the wilderness, in the land of drought. When they had pasture, they became satisfied; they were satisfied, and their hearts became proud. Therefore they forgot me. 

So I will be like a lion to them; I will lurk like a leopard on the path.“

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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God reminds Israel of His past Faithfulness… and immediately follows up with a description of how it resulted in them becoming proud, fat and happy…then forgetting all about God.

What is interesting in this passage is that God desires to bless them, but in the end it leads to the one thing He HATES- pride and lost relationship.  God also knows that disaster and suffering force all of us to see things most clearly: we don’t have control, we don’t possess the ability to fix/remove trouble, we actually NEED God, He is the only one who can save us from trouble.

Remarkably, the choice is ours: stay close to Him in good times and bad, or run from Him, depend on ourselves in pride, and enter hard times apart from God (maybe even caused by Him).  What is crazy, is that we naturally tend toward the latter…the most painful path.  I have often believed that my plan was good, without even consulting God.  These times always lead to pain and suffering.i

God, I need You…every hour I need You!  Every second, every moment I need YOU!  Anything good, kind, gentle, loving or thoughtful that comes from me, has been produced in you.  Help me to see when I am depending on me, and run to you for forgiveness!

Hosea 12- False Confidence

 ”The Lord is the God of Armies; the Lord is his name. But you must return to your God. Maintain love and justice, and always put your hope in God. But Ephraim thinks, “How rich I have become; I made it all myself. In all my earnings, no one can find any iniquity in me that I can be punished for!”“

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭12‬:‭5‬-‭6‬, ‭8‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Ephraim has extreme confidence in himself and that he is doing everything right.  But his confidence comes from looking at the results of his effort.  Things are going well for him so he believes that he is doing everything right. He is trusting in himself!

God has just pointed out that He (God) is the most powerful being and has all authority over everything…and our primary responsibility is to trust God only.  In the midst of trusting God, we should love others and act justly.

These statements are intensely contradictory…but Ephraim is blind to it.  It seems so obvious, blatantly clear and yet he is more confident in the success “he” has created.  What a dangerous place to live…

God, I know I have this same tendency…I have idolized success and accomplishment which has brought me nothing but pain, regret and suffering.  Please keep my blinders off, help me to recognize when I move into that mentality. Help me to instantly run to you and repent.  I am done with false confidence…I want to rest in and be confident in you, the God of Armies.