Toast

2-10-11 Nahum1:2 "God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies"

The way I study my Bible is that I take a chapter and read it. If God nails me with something, I stop there and meditate on that verse, looking up the meaning of words and journal my thoughts. If I have been hit with several truths from that chapter, I read it again the next day and develop thoughts on the other verse. It was like that today. I thought that there was another thought that I wanted to dwell on in Nahum chapter one, so I read the chapter again…and a verse that I didn't expect to hit me, hit me…this one.

God has reinforced the fact that He is slow to anger and that He is good. I am so thankful because as I look at this verse, I also realize the truth that He is really teed off at people who challenge Him. We don't hear about this part of God very often. We want to hear that He is slow to anger, and good, and delights in mercy, and is loving and kind and compassionate and gracious. The thing is, we have to realize that God is also jealous. The word for jealous means "jealous". God guards His reputation and He will not stand for anyone who competes against Him. He also avenges. This means that He takes revenge. He is going to pay back those who confront Him. Finally, God is furious. The word for furious is hot displeasure or burning anger. God is really hot about those who are against Him.

I may think: "Oh, that's not me. I am not an enemy of God." But then I read stuff like: "For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Rom 5:10 Without Jesus, I am God's enemy because I have challenged Him, and competed against Him and confronted Him. This happens every time I sin. When I sin I tell God that He is wrong and I am right and that I am not going to listen to Him. This is not good. In fact, this is deadly. God is not going to stand for this and "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men…". Rom 1:18 It is true that God is loving and merciful. But it is also true that He is jealous and angry.

What can we do? I don't want to be in this camp. I don't want to be God's enemy. I mean, self preservation is important, and frankly one of the most selfish things that we can do to save ourselves is to run to Jesus to be reconciled to God..to make peace with God. And the only way that this is going to happen is if we realize that we are His enemies. That we have sinned against Him and we need a Savior. We need to fall at His feet in humble repentance acknowledging our sinfulness and our need.

This is very sobering stuff, but we have a sobering God. Without this, we are toast.

2-9-11 Nahum 1:7 "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him."

Here is Nahum pronouncing a judgment against Nineveh and he comes back to this: "The Lord is good." I am sure that the Ninevites may have thought differently when they heard that they were going to be cut down. Kind of interesting, though. This is the same Nineveh that understood God's goodness because they had experienced it when another prophet, Jonah, told them that they were going down. Their response a century before Nahum was repentance and they personally saw how good God was. Years later, apparently, they forgot about His goodness and returned to their old ways.

Sad, really. We have a tendency to do this. We get in a tough spot, we cry out to God, He gets things all fixed up and then we forget. We forget His goodness and we turn back to the old way of doing things.

The thing is Nahum wanted to bring these people back to this truth. God is good. Just like Micah proclaimed that God was merciful, Nahum pronounced the very heart of God…His goodness. And His desire for us is for our goodness, our welfare, our benefit. God is not in heaven waiting to pounce. He is slow to anger. His heart is that we experience His goodness, not His wrath.

Nahum also wanted these people to know that God was their stronghold. He is our protection. He is our refuge. He is our place of safety. When things get tough, when we feel like everything is caving in around us we can run to Him and hide in Him, and find our strength and safety in Him.

I remember when I was a kid, I found my strength and protection in my Dad. If someone was harassing me I used to tell them that my Dad was a championship wrestler and he could take care of things. (He actually wrestled in High School and I believe went to state.) My Dad was my stronghold. I found safety in His reputation. Even beyond this, our Father God is our stronghold. His reputation is that He is The Championship Wrestler. He will guard and protect and defend us against all our enemies, no matter how powerful they may seem, He is greater.

So we need to trust Him. When we do, He knows it. The word for "trust" actually means to flee to Him for protection. When we do, God takes notice. He sees that we are not relying on our own power, or our own smarts, or our own ability. He pays attention to the fact that we acknowledge our helplessness and we are running to Him as our stronghold and as our Championship Wrestler, He takes care of things, because He is good.

2-8-11 Nahum 1;3 "The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet."

I've got to say, I am loving reading the Minor Prophets (the little guys). The words that they speak are not little or minor at all. They are huge and they speak major truth to our lives.

Look at this…it is kind of a follow up from yesterday. Yesterday God pardoned, passed over, did not retain His anger, He delights in mercy, He has compassion and throws our sin in the deep sea. Today I am reminded, God is slow to anger. I thank Him for that. Frankly, God has a right to be angry. Just take a look at this world and the mess we have made. Why is it a mess? Because we have ignored the truth of His word, we have turned our backs on His instructions and now we are reaping what we have sown. At this point, what we are seeing is not God's anger, it is the result of our stupidity. But then break it down. The reason the world is screwed up is because we are screwed up…because I am screwed up. The world is made up of sinful people who desire to go their own way. This is me. I want what I want and it is not always consistent with what God wants. For this God has a right to be angry. He could lower the boom any time He wanted…but He doesn't. Remember, He delights in mercy. He would rather be merciful than angry so He is slow to anger.

But then, here is the balance that Nahum has to remind us about…He is also great in power and He is restraining that power, but not forever. He will not at all acquit the wicked. That is a significant warning. God is slow to anger and remember He has great power so watch out because He is not going forget what the wicked are doing. Some day, some how at some time His great power will be revealed against the wicked. We will no longer be reaping what we have sown, we will no longer be seeing the results of how dumb we were, we will see the awesome, terrible power of God.

I mean, look at who He is. He is going to have His way. No one is going to hold Him back. His purposes will always prevail. He has His way in the whirlwind and the storm. He makes the sea dry, He dries up the rivers, He wilts the flowers, the mountains quake before Him and the hills melt and the earth heaves at His presence and the clouds are the dust of His feet. There is really only one word that can describe who God is: Awesome. He is the only One who is awesome. Not some football game, or some song or some food we eat or even some person. God alone is awesome and this awesome, powerful God is slow to anger. Man, am I grateful.

2-7-11 Micah 7:18,19 "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea."

The men of our church are going through a great study right now called "Downpour" from James MacDonald. This study is centering on Revival…not necessarily in our country or in our churches, but in our individual lives. He begins by talking about God's holiness. When you really consider how holy, how set apart, how awesome God is, you really have to approach Him with a humble, cautious spirit. Last week and this week we are looking at sin. What about it? The wrath of God is revealed against it. God hates it. He despises it. He wants nothing to do with it. His unbelievable, powerful, awesome wrath is being stored up to someday be poured out because of it. Tough stuff because we are all there. All have sinned and fall short of God's glory. Sin is totally contrary to who He is and it cannot exist in His presence. We are all condemned and under the wrath of God.

But then look at this verse: "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?" He will not keep His wrath forever. Why? Because He delights, He takes more pleasure in mercy. He will give us His compassion. He will love us deeply. He will have tender affection for us. So what will He do with our sin? Subdue it. Take it captive and hold it in bondage. He will throw it into the deep sea. God hates sin so much that He is going to absolutely, positively, definitively get rid of it forever. He is going to lock it up in chains and weights and thrown into the depths of the sea never to be revealed or released again.

This is beyond great news. This is freedom. I know that I have a tendency to beat myself up when I screw up. I confess it and God takes it and locks it up, but I sometimes unlock it. I remember it. I dwell on it. That is dumb because God doesn't. In His mind once I have confessed my sin it is gone forever, because God would rather delight in mercy and not wrath.

The truth is: If we confess our sins, God is faithful and God is just and God will forgive our sins and make us clean from all unrighteousness. This is God. "Who is a God like You?" That is a great question. There is no one else. There is nothing else. Yet as I John 1:9 reveals, God is faithful and God is just and His justice requires that sin be dealt with. So here is God, who says: "I hate sin so much, and I delight in mercy so much I am going to do something about it for these poor, sinful, helpless people. I am going to go to earth and die. I am going to take the wrath. I am going to take the punishment. I am going to bear their sin…because I delight in mercy and I am going to pardon, and pass over, and have compassion on those who trust what I have done for them." And my sin? Gone.

No wonder we have to fall on our faces in adoration.

2-6-11 Micah 7:7 "Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me."

Now here is something that blows me away: God listens to me. Isn't that crazy? The almighty, awesome, powerful, holy, righteous God who rules over everything hears me. He not only hears me, but He hears every person who calls to Him in faith. Think about this, millions of people are praying right now and God hears each one of them individually and answers each one individually. That is what our God is like. He has the ability to listen to each prayer and respond to each prayer. It really is amazing.

We think the internet is cool. I mean, you can Google any topic at any time and get information from all kinds of sources. It really is a fantastic invention. God is bigger. God is greater. God hears all, sees all, answers all, responds to all in perfect timing. We don't get a bunch of answers. (Bing still gives you a ton of answers, no matter what they say.) We get exactly the answer that we need at the exact time that we need it.

Micah knew this and in the middle of a bunch of people that he could not trust (he couldn't trust his friend, or his family members or even his wife) because everyone was out for themselves, destroying other people's live, taking bribes, scheming together…so Micah went to the One he knew he could trust…the Lord. "I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation." Here is the One he could rely upon so even though he suggested that these people not even share their thoughts with their spouse, he would share His deepest thoughts with His Savior. He would hear him. He would listen to him. He would care and take care of him. He was going to watch God. He was going to put his hope in Him.

The same is true today. God hears and He cares. No matter what is going on around me, no matter who may have let me down, God hears. He listens. He will answer. I need to look to Him, watch Him, wait on Him, hope in Him. He is totally, absolutely trustworthy.

Thank you God.

2-5-11 Micah 6:8 "He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

I woke up this morning thinking about people in need. Weird how that works. I mean, I didn't go to bed thinking about this, but somehow when my mind was fresh and my heart open the needs of certain people popped into my brain. You see, I am the guy in my church who oversees our benevolence disbursements. When people have needs they funnel the request to me and I have to make a decision about what goes out and how it goes out. Normally these requests come in from people in the church. That is usually what these funds are used for. The thing is, recently we have had people calling our church or people in our church who know people who are not associated with our church who have needs. One guy called and he asked if we could help him pay for his hotel room where he lived. Another person e-mailed and wondered if we could help a family whose Dad is in the hospital. Another person e-mailed and asked if we could help with a family of a Mom and five kids who were abandoned by their Husband and Father who have all kinds of needs. I struggle with how to help because we have already depleted our benevolence resources…then I read this: "He has shown you Glen, what is good. What does God require of you? Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly with your God."

Do justly. Be sure justice is achieved. Do what is right. Don't play favorites. Don't weigh the scales inequitably as these people in Micah's day were doing. Treat everyone equally…even if you don't know them. Even if they are not a part of your church.

Love mercy. Mercy here means goodness…kindness. Love doing good. Love being kind.

Walk humbly with your God. Understand who I am before God. As I have written before. I am just a speck of a person, on this speck of a world that we call earth, in this speck of a solar system, in this gigantic expanse that we don't have a clue how far it goes or what is contained in it, that God created and holds together in perfect harmony. (Whew…quite a sentence.) I have to maintain a proper view of who I am, who others are and who God is.

Then I think of verses like "Do good unto all men, especially those of the household of faith." And I think of stories like the Good Samaritan and I wonder…how? How do we do this? How do we manage it? How do we have the discernment to know…the wisdom to know? Then God whispers: "Trust Me. Listen to Me. Watch Me supply."

God only requires justice, mercy, and humility. Walk that way.

2-4-11 Micah 5:2, 5b "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting...and this One shall be peace."

Bethlehem. This is a pretty important city when it comes to the One who was going to be born there. This One is going to be Ruler in Israel. This One is from everlasting. This One will be peace. Who is this One? If we can identify this One you would think that the whole world would shut up and listen. If we can identify this One you would think that all of the other world religions would be proven to be false. An everlasting King who is peace, born in Bethlehem.

But not just Bethlehem, but Bethlehem Ephrathah. Why Ephrathah? Because there were two Bethlehems. One Bethlehem was in Galilee and the other one was in Judea. Just so there was no confusion, this prophecy dealt with the birth of this One who was going to be born in Bethlehem of Judea, a tiny little town south of Jerusalem. It was no big deal other than the fact that King David was born there. Who is this One that Micah wrote about?

About seven-hundred years later this happened: "Joseph, also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea (you see he didn't stay in Galilee where the other Bethlehem was…he left Galilee to go to this place) to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (Ephrathah), because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child." Joseph had to go to this city to be registered for the census. His lineage was from the family of David and he had to go to where his ancestors were from in order to enter his name in the census. "For there is born to you this day in the city of David (Bethlehem Ephrathah) a Savior, who is Christ the Lord...and on earth peace…" Any questions? I mean, give me a break. This prophecy and the fulfillment of it seven-hundred years later shows who Jesus is. The eternal King of peace. The Messiah.

Why are we so dull? Why don't people want to see the obvious? Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Jesus Christ is the everlasting One. Jesus Christ is God and this statement made by Micah nails it.

2-3-11 Micah 4:2b "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths."

This is the future. This is what is yet to come. "In the latter days…many nations will come and say: Come on, let's go to where God is. Why? We want to be taught. We want God to teach us His ways. When He does we are going to go and do and live the way that He directs." This is going to be an amazing time when many nations and a ton of people realize that their ways have lead down futile paths. The answer is God. The answer is the truth of His word. The answer is humbly realizing that we need to be taught and once we are taught, we need to listen and obey.

The question that I have to ask is: Why does this have to be the future? Sure, this is going to happen in a massive way in the future when the world confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father, but this is not something that we have to wait for. It is something that we need to do now. It is something that I need to do now. "Come" is an invitation. We need to invite others to go to where God is. His mountain. His house. His dwelling place. We need to invite others to crave after His presence because He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the only One who can teach us for He is the only One who has the words of life. We need to invite and we need to sit down at His feet and listen and learn. When is the last time I just said to God: "Teach me."? Not for the sake of learning, but for the sake of walking in His paths, for the sake of doing what He wants me to do, for the sake of running after His purpose for me.

To think that the God of the universe, the One who made it all, who rules over it all, who controls it all, who holds everything in His hands is willing to be my Teacher…amazing. It blows me away that the God who created everything, who knows everything and who understands everything wants to teach me. He wants to share what He knows with me. How can I say: "no"? Then when He is willing to do this and He gives me His instruction, my response should be: "yes". How can my response, how can our response be anything else? When God takes the time to give me His instruction my only response as a part of His creation is to follow. To walk in His paths.

It is kind of weird, but all of creation obeys the voice of God. He says "thunder" and it does. He says: "rain" and it does. He says: "wind blow" and it does. He says: "be still" and it is. Humans are the only part of His creation who think that they can ignore Him. What a joke! When we do this we only run into trouble. He is our Teacher. He is the Lord of all. Our only response can be: "Teach me and I will walk in your paths."

2-2-11 Micah 3:8 "But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, And of justice and might, To declare to Jacob his transgression And to Israel his sin. "

Micah knew that he was filled with power, justice, and might. Why? Because he was a great guy and these were character qualities that he inherently possessed? No. These were qualities that the Spirit of God gave to him. The Holy Spirit was active back in Micah's day and He gave Micah some amazing gifts that he needed to be a prophet.

Micah needed power. This power was strength. This power was might. This power was his ability to make an impact on others. And it came from God. How else could he have lasting influence? He couldn't. Just look at the other guys who claimed to be spritual leaders. They were nothing. They were empty suits. They looked good on the outside but inside they were worthless. God didn't listen to them and they did not hear from God. They walked around in darkness. Micah didn't want this. He needed the power, strength and might of God in his life and he got it from the Spirit of God.

Micah needed justice. I mean what good is a prophet unless he can make proper decisions? Again, the self proclaimed prophets of his day were making horrible decisions and God was bringing judgment upon them because of it. Where was Micah going to get the ability to make right and just decisions? God's Spirit. He put this ability in Micah.

Finally Micah needed might. This is not the same thing as power. This might was courage. This was the ability to say what needed to be said, and do what needed to be done and not worry about what people thought or said or did or any other consequences that may come about because he spoke the truth. Just think. He was going to tell people about their sin. This took courage and Micah had it. Not because he was a courageous guy but because the Spirit of God made him that way.

Now, how about modern day prophets? How about us...those who desire to speak God's truth clearly and without compromise? We too need power and justice and might. We too need strength and discernment and courage. We too need God's Spirit to actively work in our lives to see these things happen. Some of the positions that we take will not be popular. Take them anyway. Some of the things we say may not be received well. Say them anyway. Some of the decisions we make may not go over well. Make them anyway...totally relying on the Spirit of God to work in our lives so that others are impacted for the Kingdom of God. This will not be easy, but with God all things are possible. We desperately, I desperately need God to work these qualities in our/my life.

As I think about this, this sounds familiar: "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind." 2 Tim 1:7 God has given it. Use it.

2-1-11 Micah 2:7b "Is the Spirit of the Lord restricted? Are these His doings? Do not My words do good to him who walks uprightly?"

Micah was warning the people that they were going to see trouble because of the way that they were oppressing those who trusted them. God had three questions for these people: Is My Spirit restricted? Is He doing this? Don't I show favor to those who do what is right?

First question: Is the Spirit of the Lord restricted? Restricted is an interesting translation. The word actually means grieved. Is the Spirit of the Lord grieved? Is He sad about what you are doing to others? You bet He was. He cares about people. Not only that, but He cared about the people who were acting shamefully. God's heart's desire is for all of our good. He is grieved when others are cheated. He is grieved when others are robbed. He is grieved when others are oppressed. And He is grieved because He desires those who are engaging in rotten activity to change.

A good question that I need to ask myself is: Why do we sometimes act the way we do toward others? Why are we mean, or why do we deceive, or why do we cheat others? Sometimes our actions and our words are so stupid. They don't help others and frankly they hurt us in the long-run. That is what happened in Micah's day and it still happens today. We definitely will reap what we sow and this saddens God.

Second question: Are these His deeds? I suppose you could take this two ways. Is God doing this rotten stuff to others? The answer: No. The other way you can take this question is, is God bringing the justice that was necessary to correct these wrongs? The answer: Yes. God will not sit idly by while we treat others improperly. We will eventually see how His economy works. What goes around comes around. This is the way life works and He has laid it out for us in His word.

This leads to the third question: Don't my words do good to those who do what is right? Absolutely. God's word is true. When we do what is right He blesses. You could take this verse conversely and read it: "Don't my words do bad to those who do what is wrong?" You bet.

The point of all of this is: Do you want God to bless? Do you want God to smile on you? Do you want to see God work positively in your life? Then do what He says. Don't grieve His Spirit…obey Him.

1-30 and 31-11 Micah 1:2 "Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all that is in it! Let the Lord God be a witness against you. The Lord from His holy temple."

Micah…another prophet, another warning and once again, a warning to Judah. The weird thing, though, is that he starts this prophecy with a broad brush. He doesn't just want to get the attention of Israel, he wants to get everyone's attention. Hear this, listen to this, understand this, yield to this, obey this, heed this, pay attention to this. This is for all people. This is for the entire earth and all that is in it. That is pretty broad. It does not leave anyone out. Apparently, people were not paying attention. They were self absorbed and distracted by other things that seemed more important.

It is funny how that happens. This happens to me when I am supposed to be listening for my client to be called for a hearing. I get wrapped up in reading another file, or talking to another attorney, or am interested in an article that I may be reading in the paper (because we spend a lot of time waiting) and my client's name is called. Do you think I hear it? No. The next thing I know someone is coming up to me and saying: "Glen, you're being called." I was distracted and was not paying attention to what was important.

The world was doing this in Micah's day. The world is doing this now. We are so wrapped up in making money, or our careers, or our families, or even our ministries. It is weird, I did it this morning. Normally I get up, take my shower, get dressed and then pray-read-journal. For some reason, today I had other stuff on my mind and I got up, took my shower, got dressed and e-mailed the worship team about plans this week. I got distracted from my time with God. I didn't listen to His voice first and now I am rushing to get my time in. Not good. The Lord is in His holy temple. He is set apart in His sanctuary waiting…waiting for me to be quiet and listen. Waiting for me to slow down and hear. This is really all He wants from us…our undivided attention…our love relationship. It is the Mary and Martha thing. Martha was so distracted with doing that she forgot to sit down and hear and listen. Mary chose what was best, listening to her Teacher, her Friend, her Savior.

So should I.

1-29-11 Obadiah 3,4 "The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; You who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?' Though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord."

The shortest book in the Old Testament…Obadiah. No one really knows a lot about this prophet. In fact, no one is really sure when this book was written, but one thing is clear, Obadiah was telling Edom, the descendant's of Esau that they were going down. Why? Because of what they did to Israel (Esau's brother, Jacob). When Israel was being taken captive, Edom did nothing. In fact, Edom rejoiced in their destruction, participated with those who bid for Jerusalem, took their property and cut off roads that they could have used to escape. Jacob and Esau…always wrestling, always at odds. What was behind all of this? Why the animosity? Because of Esau (Edom's) pride. They thought they were hot stuff. In fact, they thought that they were indestructible.

I think that this is interesting to look at because Edom was doing well. In fact, they were living the high life. Their habitation was high. They lived in the clefts of the rocks and ascended as high as the eagle and lived among the stars. I don't think that this meant that they flew. What it meant was that they had it made and they knew it, so much so they got pretty pompous and rejoiced in their brother's adversity. This pride was not just an outward thing, although it expressed itself outwardly. It was an inward thing. It started in the inner man. "The pride of your heart has deceived you." "You say in your heart, who will bring me down to the ground?" This deception began internally and evidenced itself in how it responded to its own family members.

Pride. It's a deceiver. Things go well. Internally, in our heart we think that things are going well because of what great people we are. When this happens, we are done. We think it, we start believing it and then we say it: "I'm pretty good. I've got it made. Look at the stability in my life. Nothing can touch me." Unfortunately, then our actions reveal it in the shameful way that we treat others, even those in our own family.

The result: "Behold, I will make you small…:. V2 "I will bring you down." God does not play with pride. He hates it. "These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: (First on the list:) A proud look…". That is where it all starts…pride, and that is where it will end: "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."

The solution? What I have been writing about in my study of Amos: "I am nothing, God is everything but He wants to make me something for His glory, not mine." That has to be my mindset. That has to be my inner man. That has to be my heart.

1-28-11 Amos 9:6 "He who builds His layers in the sky, and has founded His strata in the earth; Who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the face of the earth - the Lord is His name."

Here it is again…the unfathomable greatness of God. Amos said similar stuff in 5:8 and he is basically repeating himself here. Just look at the sky. Amos knew there were layers in the sky. Did Amos know about the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, the exosphere, the ionosphere, the magnetosphere? I mean, this guy, a simple shepherd spent a lot of time tending sheep under the stars, but, how would he know that there were layers in the atmosphere? He didn't…God did. This is God's word. It is God breathed and He was explaining to all of us eight-hundred years before the birth of Christ that there were layers in the sky. This was 2400 years before Galileo made all of his discoveries…and God shows up again, revealing His greatness. Not just in what He has created in the heavens, but by what He has said in His word.

Then Amos talks about the layers of the earth. The word for strata actually means bands or cords. Amos knew about this stuff because God revealed it to him and it demonstrates the knowledge and greatness of God.

And then he repeats himself by explaining the rain cycle. This must have amazed Amos as he watched it rain. He knew, because God told him about evaporation and condensation.

Many times Christians get all twisted in knots when it comes to science. We think that scientists are out to prove that God does not exist. The thing is, as scientists truly study the universe and the earth and the human body…if they have an open mind and are honest with themselves, they have to admit that a Creator did all of this. And this Creator…the Lord is His name. He is the ultimate Scientist. He is the One we need to listen to and learn from because He made it all and He knows how it works. This isn't just true as it relates to the physical world around us. It is true as it relates to life as well. He made us. He knows how we work. Because of this He knows what is best for us, even before we have a clue…and we should listen and obey. God revealed His secrets to Amos and He wants to reveal amazing things to us as well.

1-27-11 Amos 8:11 "'Behold, the days are coming', says the Lord God, 'That I will send a famine on the land. Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.'"

Famine. The thought of it sends chills. We have so much in this country. We can go to the grocery store and buy anything that we could ever think or imagine. If there is ever a thought that the electricity will go out, or that there is going to be financial trouble, or a storm is coming, what do people do? They run to the grocery store and hoard what they can just so they can be ready when food supplies are not able to be trucked in to the local Giant Eagle, Heinens, Aldi's, Marcs, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Save-a-Lot, Sams, Costco, BJ's, etc. We are so used to having our stomachs filled we go crazy if we think we may have to miss a meal or two.

Now, compare this with the availability of food in places like the Sahel region of Africa. No rain, no growth, no growth, no food, no food, real hunger, real thirst, desperation, illness, starvation, death. All because of a lack of rain.

Amos was warning the people of Israel about famine as well. But this was not a water/food famine. This was worse. This was a famine for God's word. People wanted to hear it, but God withdrew it. People looked for the word of the Lord, but they could not find it. It was scarce. It was unavailable. As a result, spiritual starvation. Physical starvation is horrible. Spiritual starvation is eternally deadly and Amos told the people that this is what they were going to suffer because they intentionally ignored the word of God when it was available. (v5,6) They wanted to do what they wanted to do. They didn't care about what God said, they were going take advantage of the poor, cheat, and steal. They were going to make money any way that they could even though they knew what God wanted…and God said: "Since you don't want any part of Me, you won't have any part of Me" and the famine for His words began.

Talk about sending chills. Just imagine if God said that to us now. "You don't want to hear My Word, you don't want to obey My Word so, I am going to withhold My Word." The result would be darkness. The result would be no hope. The result would be no life. The result would be no answers, no promises, no direction…no God. Frankly, God could easily say this to the world today. Then when we were desperate to hear His voice there would be silence.

"Oh God…help us to always listen, to always hear, to always heed and obey."

1-26-11 Amos 7:14,15 "I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet, but I was a sheepbreeder and a tender of sycamore fruit. Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to My people Israel.'"

Amos was stirring things up and Amaziah, the priest of Bethel didn't like it. He went to Amos and confronted him about some of the things he was saying against the king of Israel. Amaziah basically said: "Get out of here. Give your prophecy to Judah but don't do it here any longer." Amos' reply? "I was not a prophet and I am not the son of a prophet. I was a simple shepherd and farmer. But then something amazing happened. God saw this simple, insignificant shepherd and He took me. It wasn't something I was looking for. I was going about my daily routine of watching the sheep and God changed everything. He called me to be a prophet to Israel."

"Then the Lord took me…" This taking is when God captured Amos. He seized Him. He removed him from his life of being a shepherd and made him a prophet. That is just like God. He takes us when we least expect it. He did it to Amos as he followed the flock and He made him a prophet. He did it to Moses while he was out tending his father in law's sheep and called him from a burning bush. And think about Mary. Just going about, living her life, making plans for a wedding, and all of a sudden an angel appears to her and tells her that she is going to give birth to God's Son. Talk about a shock! The cool thing is that God took these simple, ordinary people and made them extraordinary in His kingdom. God captured their hearts and used them in unimaginable ways.

This makes me wonder…what else does God want to do with me? He has captured my heart and He has allowed me to do some things that I would never have ever imagined. Teach? Lead worship? Elder? Give me a break! I couldn't talk in front of people, I would get too nervous. Then my pastor decades ago asked me to lead singing and I was unbelievably reluctant. And serve others in the capacity that God has placed me and to let me see Him work in the way that He is…crazy. I wasn't a prophet or the son of a prophet either, but He allows me to speak His word to hundreds of people. That is nuts! Yet, I am a simple guy in the hands of a mighty God. As Louie Giglio says: "I am not, but I know I AM". That makes all the difference. We know I AM. He wants to take us and use us in extraordinary ways for His kingdom. I know that He still has more for me.

As I said a few days ago: We are nothing…God is everything and He wants to take us simple, ordinary, insignificant people and make us something. Not for our glory, but for His.

God is still in the taking business.

1-25-11 Amos 6:8 "The Lord God has sworn by Himself, the Lord God of hosts says: 'I abhor the pride of Jacob, and hate his palaces; Therefore I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.'"

Pride is a nasty thing. It is nasty because we start to think that we are something that we are not. We believe our own press clippings and when we do that, we place ourselves and our interests above those of others and we place ourselves and our interests above the interests of God…and that is dangerous.

Just look at Lucifer. He had it all. He was the top angel in heaven. He really didn't need anything else, but he wanted more. He wanted to exalt his throne above the stars of God. He said: "I will be like the Most High." Is. 14:12-15 Dummy. The result: "You shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit." It wasn't just Lucifer. Look at Adam and Eve. They also bought into this "you will be like God" thing. Gen.3:5 Nothing but pride. Nothing but trying to make themselves something that they were not. They we trying to exalt themselves to the place of God. And it didn't end with Adam and Eve. It hit the house of Jacob as well. They had it all. They had comfortable beds. They had great living room furniture. They ate whatever they wanted. They sang songs and invented musical instruments. They drank as much wine as they wanted. They had the best skin care in the world…but they didn't care about what God cared about. (Amos 6:3-6) They thought it was all about them. They thought that their own strength and ability had produced all of this. (6:13)

Now, think about us. Think about the competition among some of our churches. Think about the idea that we have to be better than you. We have to do things better than you. We have to attract more people than you. We want people to love us the most. We want to have the most money, and the best programs, the best music and the most talented staff. Why? So we can boast? So we can say we have it together? So we can prove that God is blessing us? Look out. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. It happened to Lucifer, Adam and Eve, the house of Jacob and it will happen to the church in the U.S. if we don't wake up and understand that we are nothing but tools in the hand of almighty God to be used in any way that He sees fit. We are simply His servants to do what He wants in the way He wants. When we start thinking that our growth is due to our smarts or our strength or our wisdom and that we are better than others, we are in deep trouble because God literally abhors pride, and He will do something about it. I have seen it happen and it isn't pretty.

Now narrow this competition thing, this "I have to better than the other guy thing", this pride thing, down to our individual lives. It is there. It is always a temptation. It is lurking just waiting to pounce and it is dangerous. I am not better than anyone else. I am not at all like God. Sure He wants me to have the character of Christ, but He does not want any competition when it comes to power or authority or credit and I have to be vigilant to protect against it. God help us all.

1-24-11 Amos 5:8 "He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning and makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name."

Beyond us. That is what God is. He is so far beyond anything that we can even imagine. Just looking at His creation should make us fall on our faces in awe.

A few facts about Pleiades:

It is a cluster of seven stars. The constellation is one of the closest to the earth so it is easy to see with the naked eye. It is really composed of 500 to 1000 individual stars which all travel together in the same gravitational field. In the 1700's it was determined that the chances of this happening with this number of stars was 1:500,000. It's size is 20 light years…that is 120 trillion miles. Pretty small when it comes to this thing called space. And what is the name of it's Maker?

And what about Orion? It is another constellation of stars that is recognizable from the earth. The constellation has been known as the hunter. One well known star in the constellation is Betelgeuse. The size of Betelgeuse alone is 250 times the size of our sun. If it were our sun, it's size would encompass all of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. That is nothing, really when you think that the largest star found thus far is something called VY Canis Majoris. It is 2100 times the size of our sun. And who is the Maker?

Not only that but He has made this thing we call days. He takes darkness and turns it into light and He takes light and turns it into darkness. As you think about this whole concept of time, it also a part of creation. It really dictates all of our existence…and what do we call the One who created this?

Then look at this. Before people could figure out how we got rain, the Bible talked about it. The Bible describes this thing called condensation. "He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth." This is the rain cycle…and whose brainchild was this?

"The Lord is His name." Jehovah…the Existing One. The One who never had a beginning and will never have an end. The Eternal One. He is the One who created the stars and days and time and the rain cycle. "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day after day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge." Ps 19:1,2

And who are we? No one, really. We are one speck on this planet that we call home. And this planet is just one speck in all of God's created space. Yet we are the objects of His love. We are the ones He made in His image. We are the ones He sent His Son to die for. We are the One's He wants to have a relationship with and who He talks to.

God, I am nothing, You are everything, but You want to make me something. Amazing.

1-23-11 Amos 5:4b,6a,14a "Seek Me, and live...Seek the Lord and live...Seek good and not evil, that you may live..."

We run after so much stuff in our short lives on this earth. There is so much out there to run after. Money, love, power, popularity, possessions, jobs, status, comfort, health, being the best, family, friends, significance…and these are only a few. None of them are really bad. It is not bad to have money. It is not bad to have someone love you. It is not bad to be healthy. It is not bad to feel good about yourself. The problem is, we make these things singular priorities in our lives and we ignore that which is primary…seeking God.

The word for "seek" actually means to "seek with care, to enquire, to consult, to investigate, to ask, to study, to follow". We are so careful to get the right education so we can get the right job to make the right amount of money to support our family and have the stuff that we want so we can be comfortable, and we think that this is living. We think that this is life. We believe that this is all there is. God is telling Amos: "There is more." The word for live actually means: "have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, be quickened". So these verses are saying: "Seek God, study God, follow God and you will have life, be quickened and will sustain your life." Kind of sounds like a guy that came to this earth who said: "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 Jesus wasn't just talking about everyday living, He was talking about something more. I love the meaning of "more abundantly" it means: "exceeding, over and above, supremely, extraordinary, uncommon". Jesus doesn't just want us to live ordinary lives and then someday leave this place in a way that makes someone wonder if we ever existed. No. Jesus wants our lives to mean something. To have real purpose. To be extraordinary. To exceed the lives of those who are just chasing after temporary stuff. He wants us to make an eternal impact. That is why He came. How do we do that? Seek Him with care. Consult Him. Ask Him. Study Him. Follow Him. Run after Him. Make Him our number one priority. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." Matt 6:33

Seek the Lord and really live.

1-22-11 Amos 4:13 "For behold, He who forms the mountains, and creates the wind, who declares to man what his thought is, and makes the morning darkness, who treads the high places of the earth - the Lord God of hosts is His name."

I am going through a great Bible study with the men of our church right now. It is called "Downpour" by James MacDonald. This last week he talked about God's holiness. His main points were that holiness describes separation and holiness demands caution. God's holiness describes how totally different God is from anything or anyone else. He is totally set apart. He is so awesome and powerful and pure and righteous and true that He is far beyond anything that we can imagine. Because of this we need to approach Him with caution. We can't be flippant in our relationship with Him. We can't say things like: "When I see God I am going to give Him a piece of my mind." No. When we see God we are only going be one place: On our faces crying out "Holy, holy, holy."

Somehow the nation of Israel forgot about this. In their amnesia God did what He needed to do to bring them back. As you go through Amos chapter four you see that He started by being kind and gentle with them by making them physically healthy and providing for all of their needs. (v6 cleanness of teeth and bread in all their places). This didn't impress them and they continued to go their own way, so God took a second step. He withheld rain in one city and provided it in another city. The result was that He still provided, but He made them travel from one city to another to get water. (v7,8) They still didn't pay attention to Him so He turned the heat up a little more. He "blasted" their crops with blight, mildew and locusts. (v9) Now I am thinking that they should be thinking: "We had all we needed before and now we don't. What's the deal? Is it us? What are we doing wrong?" But no. They didn't think and they did not return to God. Here comes more heat. God impacted them physically so many of their young men died. (v10) Again, no response. Finally, God overthrew some of them like He did with Sodom and Gomorrah and yet still had compassion on some of them by plucking them from the burning. (v11) Their response? Nothing. So He said: "Prepare to meet your God." (v12) And what is God like? Holy. He is unlike anything that they could ever imagine. He formed the mountains. He creates the wind. He knows everything that we are thinking. He makes it dark in the morning. He walks on the highest places on the earth. He is the Lord God of all the armies of heaven…and He said to them and He says to us: "Caution". When they were flippant in their attitude about Him and He tried to bring them back, they ignored the caution signs…so prepare to meet your God.

I wonder how far our country is going to get before we need to meet God face to face in His holiness? This, however, does not just apply to countries, it applies to me. How do I approach the God who made it all, who rules it all, who controls it all, who knows it all?

CAUTION.

1-21-11 Amos 3:3 "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"

It is a great thing to be in agreement with another person. It is huge when it is someone like your spouse. And it is even larger when it is God.

Agreement reveals something. It shows that you have communicated with each other and are coming from the same perspective. You are on the same page. There is no misunderstanding. There is no holding back. Everything that needs to be hashed out has been hashed out and you have come to a meeting of the minds. There is agreement. There is unity.

I was recently involved with a discussion between two people where they were not seeing eye to eye. One person wanted to do one thing, and the other person wanted to do another thing. They tried to talk but as they talked, it just got rougher and the ability to communicate just broke down. There was no agreement. It was tough for these people to have a meeting of the minds. It created a barrier and both wondered what to do to resolve the conflict. What did they do? They communicated more. They began again. They made a fresh start. It was a clean slate and the old misunderstandings were eliminated. Initially they did not agree and they could not walk together. All they could do was wonder what to do. When it resolved, they understood one another and now walk together in understanding, in agreement, in unity.

God was saying to the nation of Israel: "It is tough for us to walk together because we don't agree. You want to go your way and I want you to go this way. That is called sin. Those things are called "iniquities" v2 These things separate us. There is no communication. There is no meeting of the minds. There is no understanding. There is no agreement. There is no unity. And for this I will punish you". V2

That is where we all are…in rebellion against God. We want to do one thing and God wants us to do another. The barrier is up. There is no walking together when our relationship with God is like this. Something has to change if we want to live in unity with God, if we want to be in sinc with Him. We have to agree. We have to agree with Him that we are screwed up sinners who need His forgiveness and grace. And we have to repent. We have to change our minds and agree that God's way is the only way. Only then will we walk together with him, communicating with Him, understanding Him, following Him.

It is kind of weird…when that happens our other relationships change too. "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another." Our unity with God brings unity with others. Our agreement with God brings agreement with others. Our fellowship with God brings fellowship with others.

Walking together with God and others…what a concept.

1-20-11 Amos 2:4 "This says the Lord: 'For three transgressions of Judah and for four, I will not turn away its punishment. Because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept His commandments. Their lies lead them astray, lies which their fathers followed."

This prophet stuff is rough. Amos is telling all kinds of nations, Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab how the Lord is going to judge them. Now he gets to Judah and Israel. What does he say about Judah? Why do they deserve God's wrath? Because they despise the word of God. Because they disobey Him. Because they are liars and they rely upon their lies to make decisions which lead them astray. And because this was the road their fathers lived.

Let's take this in reverse order beginning with Dads. Apparently the Dads in Judah told lies, believed lies and taught their kids how to lie. The Dads were dishonest. The Dad's words could not be relied upon. The Dads were the one's setting the example and their kids followed in their footsteps…doing the same lying that Daddy did. Sobering…the example we place in front of our kids. They are the ones who watch us the closest. They are the ones who will one day live out what we live now. It reminds me of the Harry Chapan song that said: "I want to be like him." Even though we may preach and teach and lecture our kids, the thing that they are watching is how we live. If our words are not consistent with our lives, forget it. Our kids will live the way we lived, even if we think that we have said the right things.

The other day we were sitting around and Jeremy, my son in law, asked what it was like to lead in the family…to lead my wife. Pretty penetrating question when you don't think about this that often. Is leadership preaching? Is leadership directing? Is leadership dictating? No. Leadership is making sure your life is consistent with your words. Leadership is setting the example in front of your wife and kids. Leadership is revealing the reality of your relationship with God how you conduct yourself both out of the house and within the house.

Judah was going to be judged because of the poor example the Dad's set. Think about it.

Then they were going to be judged because of what they did with God's word. They despised it. They disobeyed it. They couldn't give a rip about God's perspective and lived how they wanted to live. The word for despise also means reject. It means refuse. They didn't pay any attention to what God said.

How often am I there? How often are we there? How is the church of Jesus doing in this area? Are we voracious in our appetite for the Word of God, or do we let the 60-90 minutes we get of it on Sunday satisfy us? Not only that, but what do we do with it once we know what it says? Obey it or ignore it?

God's desire is for us to devour His word, live it and set the example before our families.

1-19-11 Amos 1:2 "The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem. The pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers."

Interesting…different writer, same words. This concept of God's awesome voice was not lost on the prophets. They knew what His voice sounded like. Powerful, amazing, almost piercing. They also knew what the result was. Creation responding. The heavens shaking, the earth shaking, the pastures mourning and the beautiful, fertile top of mount Carmel withering. I am getting the idea that God's voice was unmistakable. When He spoke, you knew it. His creation heard it and knew it and responded to it.

Sometimes I ask myself whether I am hearing God's voice or not? Sometimes when I get ideas or thoughts, is it God speaking or is it just me thinking? One thing I know, God will never speak in a way that is inconsistent with His word. If a thought or idea or concept enters my brain and it is not supported by the Word of God, forget it. I can pretty much know that I can throw it out. On the flip side, when a thought comes and it is supported by Scripture, run to it. Obey it. Do it. Don't ignore it. The tough question comes with the middle ground. The times when God's word is silent? Then what? Is it really the Holy Spirit?

I know verses like: "You shall hear a voice behind you, this is the way, walk in it." Or "My sheep hear my voice and follow Me." So why is this a struggle? My Pastor last Sunday talked about how it is like dialing in on your favorite radio station. You surf over the different stations until you hit the one that you are familiar with. How does this familiarity grow? By spending time with God. By getting into His word and reading it and meditating on it. If I am not in it, I cannot expect to hear from Him. But if I am in it, His voice will become more distinct. In fact, it may come to me like an unmistakable roar. That is what I want. I want those unmistakable roars that are consistent with the Word of God. When that happens, be like creation. Get moving.

1-18-11 Joel 3:16 "The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem. The heavens and earth will shake, but the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel."

Contrasts. I am glad that God gave us a world filled with contrasts. Black and white. Light and dark. Brilliant and dull. Sweet and sour. Cold and hot. It would be a really boring world if God had not come up with this idea to make things different. Even people. Just think what it would be like if we were all the same. The same size, shape, personality, voice…that would really be a weird world. But God used His creativity to make us all different and to allow us to see and experience His creative ability in making contrasts.

As I read this verse today it occurred to me that God is a God of contrasts. Look at this verse. The Lord will roar from Zion. This is a mighty roar. This is the roar of a conqueror. This isn't some mamby pamby yelp. This is an noise that comes from the God of the universe. I am sure that it is something that none of us could handle if we heard it. His voice is going to be uttered, this announcement is going to be delivered. And what is going to happen as a result of it? The heavens and the earth will shake. This shaking is a quaking from fear. God's voice is not something to ignore. Someday, at some time He is going to utter His voice from Jerusalem and the roar will go out and all of creation will respond with utter fear.

This just makes me wonder: How do I respond when I hear the voice of God? I mean, when I know that it is God speaking, when there is absolutely no question that it is the God of the universe who is talking to me…what do I do? Quake or yawn? Obey or go my own way? Kind of sad when you think about it. Way too many times we do not respond like we should. We don't respond the way creation responds to God's voice.

Here is the contrast. You have the mighty, powerful, awesome voice of God who is a shelter for His people. This shelter is a refuge. It is a place of safety. Frankly, there is no safer place than to be with the mighty, powerful, awesome God of Creation. On the flip side, there is no more dangerous place than to be without Him. He is not only a shelter, but He is the strength of the children of Israel. Now I know that when this was written, the children of Israel were those of Jewish descent. But look at this: "Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham." Gal 3:7 "And if you are Christ's then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Gal 3:29 He is not only the strength a shelter to Israel, He is my strength. He is my shelter. He is Dave and Linda Blankenship's strength and shelter right now as they go through this tough time. He is a strength and shelter to all who claim the Name of Christ, for we are His children, and He loves to protect His children.

When I think about it, it really isn't a contrast. It really is pretty consistent. The God whose voice roars, who is powerful and mighty is my strength and shelter…There is no better place to be.

1-17-11 Joel 2:13 "So rend your heart and not your garments, return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and He relents from doing harm."

Repentance. It is a word that is not used a lot in our current culture. I can't think of a time when I have heard someone outside the church say anything about repentance. It is a foreign concept. The problem is, it is a necessary concept. Why don't we hear about it? Because we think that we are always right. We think that the way we think and the things we do and the attitudes we carry are OK. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is our thoughts, actions and attitudes are all wrong without repentance. They are self serving, self centered, self promoting and this is sin. This is falling short of God's glory. None of us can measure up to what He is like and the fact that we can't equal Him shows that we are imperfect, sinful humans.

The nation of Israel was having a tough time. Their nation was being destroyed. Why? It could be as simple as having a divided heart. Verse 12 says: "Turn to Me with all your heart." It could be that they were trying to live double lives. Sure, we love God, but we love this world too. We love God, but we love money too. We love God, but we love these other idols too. That is not going to cut it. It is all God or it is nothing. God wanted all of their hearts. "Love the Lord your God will all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength." There is really no in between here. Because Israel was living in the "in between" God brought some pretty severe judgment.

Kind of scary. I am afraid that I find myself in the "in between" a lot. Sure, I want to love God with all that I am, but then things seem to get in the way…and this is sin. Unfortunately, I think my experience is the experience of many…not just in the world because we know that the world is a self absorbed place with no thought of God, but also in the church. We live with one foot standing on the promises and another foot standing on sinking sand. That is not a safe place to stand. God wants all of us. He gave all that He had. There was no wavering with Him. Jesus said: "I'm all in." There was no in between with God and He asks the same of us.

So what should we do? Rend our hearts. Or hearts need to be torn in pieces. They need to break. We need to see that living in the "in between" for what it is…an affront to God. We need to turn around and return to the Lord, with all of our hearts. And look at what He is like: Gracious, merciful, slow to anger, kind and He actually kind of repents. The word for relent is also translated repent and it simply means that He changes His mind as well. Thank God for that. Thank God that He takes what we deserve and changes it to blessing. Our repentance brings God's repentance. Our change of mind and heart brings God change of mind and heart.

No more living in the "in between".

1-16-11 Joel 2:11b "For strong is the One who executes His word."

Sometimes…most of the time, I don't think we know who we are dealing with when it comes to God. I mean we make mental assent that He is sovereign, and powerful, and righteous, and just, and faithful, and true, and holy, and all knowing, and all seeing, and loving, and kind, and merciful, and compassionate, and gracious, and creator, and… But even with this mental assent, I don't think that it is reality. It is not something that guides our lives. It is not something that causes us to stop and think. Instead, we go on living our lives every day in the way that we want to live.

God was telling the nation of Israel, don't do that. Look at what is going on around you and be desperate for Me. Depend on Me. Trust Me. Obey Me. Look at the power: "The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. The Lord gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great…" v 10, 11 Like I said, I really don't think that we know who we are dealing with. If we did, our lives, our words, our actions, our decisions would be totally different.

We learned a new song this last week: The lyrics say: "Your voice it thunders; The oaks are twisting; The forest sounds with cedars breaking; The waters see you and start their writhing; From the depths a song is rising
Now it's rising from the ground; Your voice it thunders; The earth is shaking; The mighty mountains now are trembling; Creation sees you and starts composing; The fields and trees they start rejoicing; Holy, holy, holy, holy Lord; The earth is Yours and singing; Holy, holy, holy, holy Lord; The earth is Yours; The earth is Yours" (the earth is yours lyrics by Gungor)

The earth gets it. The earth understands who God is. The earth responds to His every command. Why don't we?

The thing is, it doesn't really matter what we do. I mean it does for us. It is important for us to understand who God is and to walk with Him every day, but whether we do or whether we don't does not impact what God is like and His purposes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and the strong One executes His word. No matter what, what God says is going to happen is going to happen. Every word of God is true. Every word of God will come to pass. Everything that God has said will someday take place. You can count on it. For He is strong. He is mighty. He will execute His word. He will accomplish what He said that He will do. In the life of Israel, in the world, in the church, in my family and in my life.

Count on it.

1-15-11 Joel 1:14 "Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord."

I saw this verse as I read yesterday and I thought that I would be spending time in it today. The thing is, I didn't see this yesterday and in fact I have never seen it. What is similar between these two verses? "the elders and…all the inhabitants of the land". This applies to everyone. The responsibility to teach your children well applied to everyone; those in leadership and those who were just your ordinary Joe. And this: Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly…into the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord."

Things were not getting bad in Israel, things were bad in Israel. There was natural destruction from locusts eating everything green. Not only that but there was outside destruction. A strong, huge nation rose against Israel, invaded it and wasted and ruined it. Economic security was gone. National security was gone. Joy was gone. This didn't just happen overnight. It was something that occurred over some time. There were warnings on the horizon that they ignored…and now they were paying the price.

Sound familiar? We could apply this to our nation. We could apply it to our churches. We could apply it to our families. There are usually warnings. There is usually a sense that something is coming and we need to get ready for it. The problem is, we ignore those warnings and keep doing the same thing that we have been doing. That has to stop. Something needs to be done. And what is it?

Consecrate a fast. Call a sacred assembly. Get everyone there. The elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of God. For once in your life, show your dependence and cry out to the Lord. These were desperate times for the nation of Israel and it is my sense that we are also coming upon desperate times in this country. It is my sense that there also are desperate churches and it is my sense that there also are desperate families. We need to do this. We need to get everyone together and fast and pray and cry out.

The problem? We really aren't there yet. People are not desperate. How do I know? Look at the times when we call for people to come together to pray. How many show up? Frankly, things are going to have to get a lot worse in our nation, churches and families. When they do, maybe then we will fast and pray. Until then, look out.

1-14-11 Joel 1:2,3 "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 our children about it, let your children tell their children, and their children another generation."

Here we go with some of the Minor Prophets.

Joel is an interesting book, because not a whole lot is know about this guy. He was the son of Pethuel. Who was he? He is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. The thing that we know is that God is using Joel to describe the "day of the Lord."

Kind of cool. A guy who is a no name. A guy that we really don't have a ton of information about. A guy whose writing is mentioned only one other time in the Bible…this guy God is using. He is using him to warn the nation of Israel, and probably all of us about what is going to take place. Just shows you, God wants to use all of us.

And he begins with "hear this you elders and give ear, all you inhabitants of the Land." In other words, you guys who are older and in charge…listen up. In fact, everyone needs to hear this because this is new, this is different, this has never happened before and you need to know about it. Not only that, but you need to tell your kids, and you kids have to tell their kids and their kids have to tell their kids. This is something that needs to be spoken about from the top down. This is something that needs to be spread throughout your families. This is something that has to be so ingrained in all of your hearts and minds that you are going to pass it on from one generation to another. Teach your children well. Make sure that they grasp it so they own it, so they give it to their kids and their kids grasp it and own it so they can give it to their kids.

At this point, I wonder if we do this? I wonder if we understand the gravity of this thing we call our faith and the importance of it? If we do, guess what? We will absolutely be passing it down to our children. We, as elders, as fathers have a responsibility to make absolutely sure that our children see our faith, understand our faith, hear about our faith, know our faith and grab onto our faith so that it is their own and they can do it with their kids. It is the 2 Tim 2:2 principle lived out in the family. "And the things that you have heard of me in the presence of many witnesses, the same commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." Or, if I can play with this verse a little: "And the things that God has taught you, the same commit to your children who will be able to teach their children also."

I love the verse in 3 John that says: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." Even though John was talking about his spiritual children, frankly it needs to start with our physical children who become our spiritual children. When this happens, when your kids believe God, trust God, obey God and they are committed to giving it to their kids…there is no greater joy.

Elders, give ear…Dad's listen up. This is your deal. This is your responsibility. Do it.