Joel

It took me about 14 minutes to read the words of Joel.  Joel wrote to Israel in a time when they were suffering the consequences of the persistent disobedience to God and rejection of his covenant.  “Locust are coming” was the warning God sent through Joel at the beginning and end of the message.  Then right in the middle of the word God gave a message of hope.  In 2:12-14 God said that repentance is the way to God’s heart.  Dying to self, changing the focus of our hearts from self to God is what he still wants in the lives of all people.  Some may argue that to do so would be to ignore the needy in the world.  However, when we put our focus on God he will direct us to the needs of the people.  He will move us to heal the sick, protect the rejected, strengthen the weak, and speak out for those locked in silence.  God’s message of repentance is the same today as it was when Joel spoke.

Stuart

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Paul of Tarsus