QT 30 Sep 2020, John 15:5-7, Is the church only good for a bonfire?

QT 29 Sep 2020, Luke 5:36-39, The pandemic suggests we need new wineskins

 

QT 28 Sep 2020, John 21:15-17, We can start over, every morning

 

QT 25 Sep 2020, Amos 4:6-11, Choose your path: today's culture or God's Word

 

QT 24 Sep 2020, Amos 4:4-5, Is the church just going through the motions?

 

QT 23 Sep 2020, Amos 3:15, Are we just pretending to use our wealth for good?

 

QT 22 Sep 2020, Amos 3:6, God is judging our cities

 

QT 21 Sep 2020, Amos 2:13-16, Relying on God during difficult days

QT 17 Sep 2020, Amos 2:4, Lies are dangerous things--people start to believe them

 

QT 16 Sep 2020, Amos 1:11, We should be amazed at God's patience

 Amos 1:11 (ESV) — 
11 Thus says the Lord: 
“For three transgressions of Edom, 
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, 
because he pursued his brother with the sword 
and cast off all pity, 
and his anger tore perpetually, 
and he kept his wrath forever. 

NOTE: Both Edom and then in the next passage, Ammon, are identified with some very cruel actions (sin) against Israel. There was an incident in the news yesterday which was horrifying to me. The person wasn't killed or physically injured. The young autistic boy was mistreated by a mob of children (although one was hardly a child, 19 years old). The evil and cruelty of their actions left me in tears and very angry that such things happen in our society. And that is such a small example of what is happening all around the world on a daily, probably hourly (or sooner) basis. Our world is cruel and disgusting and deserving of the punishment that is coming upon it.

The atheist argues that if God exists and is loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful, he should stop the evil things in the world. But man rejected God in the garden and wanted to live life as his own god. We should be amazed, not that God does not fix things (since man rejected his involvement), but that his patience has been so great. We are not deserving anything but a horrible life-ending judgment. 

PRAYER: Lord, it is hard to even pray for mercy. The sin in my world seems so great. I know we are unworthy of mercy, not matter "how much" sin exists. But, it pains my heart at times when I hear of our cruelty. You punished Edom and Ammon for their sins. You will punish my nation too for their sins. I do pray we would turn from our wicked ways and seek you.

QT 15 Sep 2020, Amos 1:9, Leading and not abusing leadership

Amos 1:9 (ESV) —

9 Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Tyre,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because they delivered up a whole people to Edom,

and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.

NOTE: In Israel, a slave was a choice of an individual to pay off debt. It was not without a timeframe unless the individual made that choice. There was the capture of enemies that were utilized as slaves but that was also not indefinite. In this verse both, Phoenicia (Tyre) and the Philistines (Gaza) had engaged in forced slavery and selling people to Edom. That in God's eyes was sin. It was different from other forms of slavery that Israel practiced and it was wrong. I think our problem in understanding slavering is a misunderstanding of the types and conditions of slavery. When a person sold himself for a fixed period of time to pay off a debt (today we might call that a contract), that was not evil. Even the temporary capture of a conquered people was not evil, especially if the warring countries had initiated the conflict and caused damage to the country. I do believe that in the case of conquest, forced slavery, would be considered evil if it continued indefinitely. Of course, humans are sinners, and all institutions are abused by those in power. These abuses have led to labor unions to prevent the slavery by companies. Today, labor unions have probably also exceeded their usefulness by those in power of the labor union. As a people, we just continue to sin against each other in the long run.

PRAYER: Father, I pray I would not take advantage of people or abuse my authority. I want to be humble, caring, circumspect, and positive to everyone who works for me. Give me grace to do that and to be an example of a good Christian leader .

QT 14 Sep 2020, Amos 1:3, Are we stealing from God in our giving?

Amos 1:3 (ESV) — 

3 Thus says the Lord: 

“For three transgressions of Damascus, 

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, 

because they have threshed Gilead 

with threshing sledges of iron. 

NOTE: Verse 3 is about Syria or Aram, whatever you choose to call the nation. God is bringing judgment against the nation for their treatment of Israel. And in a theme of Amos, it is not for a one-time act, although one time does make a person guilty. God is patient, giving us time to repent and change. But after a time, God will judge the person for their sins. It is not that his patience is limited, but rather his justice demands attention. For a child of God, it is also out of love that God disciplines his children. The church is guilty of discipline, we have not lived differently from the world. We have failed our nation, not politically, but without the changed lifestyle that issues from the heart. People have not rejected us because of the message, but because they don't see anything behind the message.

One other thing caught my attention. In reading a commentary on the book of Amos, Constable made this statement, "The message of Amos is that God blesses people so they can be channels of blessing to others, not so they may simply squander His blessings selfishly." This is also our problem. We are so focused so much on the concept of Old Testament tithing that we have missed out on the real blessing of giving. My comments are focused on the rich. I think a tithe, as taught by the western church, is an entirely selfish response to the word of God. Giving ten percent is easy for people whose income is in the top 10 percent of the nation. They can give more, much more. For those of us who are wealthy, we need to rethink our giving. The New Testament concept is that each should give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver. This means we need to have serious prayer about what our giving should be. To give 10 percent is simple for a wealthy person, but are we squandering the wealth God has given selfishly?

PRAYER: Lord, open the eyes of believers that we would not be blind to our own selfish actions. Help us to see how you want to use us and how you want to change us.

QT 10 Sep 2020, Joel 3:13-15, We are in rebellion to God

 

QT 9 Sep 2020, Joel 3:12, We can only blame ourselves

Joel 3:12 (ESV) — 12 Let the nations stir themselves up

and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;

for there I will sit to judge

all the surrounding nations.

NOTE: God joins the call for Armageddon. It is actually a ridiculous exercise on the surface. Will all the Armies of the earth stand up against the God of creation? Of course they will because they do not believe He exists. They just want to destroy Israel because they believe that nation is the source of the world's problems. They don't believe the flood ever happened. They don't believe there was an Exodus as described in the bible. They don't believe the bible. They will gather together to make war against God (metaphorically speaking), like Nimrod when he thought to build a tower to heaven to conquer it. It won't be much of a war since they will only be fighting one person, Jesus. He will descend from Heaven with an army but only he will fight. He will kill so many by his word, that a river of blood will flow through the valley.

PRAYER: Father, as I look around my world, that day seems very close. Like John, I too say, "come, Lord Jesus, come." How could we have avoided this mess? My question is not about individuals but as a nation. As we removed God from our society, we removed truth, common sense, and logical thinking. We are a blathering, incoherent, emotional mess. Open our spiritual eyes. Use your Holy Spirit to convict of sin, of your righteousness, and our coming judgment.

QT 8 Sep 2020, Joel 3:4-7, There is only ONE way to salvation

Joel 3:4–8 (ESV) — 4 “What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. 5 For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples. 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. 7 Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the Lord has spoken.”

NOTE: It is hard to say who are the Phoenicians and Philistines of today. Today those regions have many Palestinians and enemies of Israel. And even today, Israel has returned to its own land and brought destruction on the heads of these enemies. But, I believe this is specific to the tribulation period. These are enemies of God and God's people, and they will be dealt with roughly. They will become true slaves to Satan and will go with him to his eternal torment. The Sabeans are the nation of Yemen today. A godless group that is involved in terrorism and piracy. The Palestinians are their slaves as they are slaves to the evil one. They need to repent but are blinded by the false religion of Islam.

PRAYER: Lord, I pray for those in Arab nations to hear the gospel and turn and repent. The days are evil and coming to a close. They need to seek you with all of their heart and turn from their wicked ways. Break the stranglehold of false religion. There is only one way to salvation and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ.

QT 7 Sep 2020, Joel 3:1-3, Judgment for our sexual sins

Joel 3:1–3 (ESV) — 1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

NOTE: I find it interesting that God brings up sexual slavery, a very real and current problem. This is an evil that is going on throughout the world and it really is being ignored. It is just one of many sexual sins that we are guilty as a nation, actually as a world. Sexual identity, homosexual marriage, adultery, pre-marital relations, etc., the list goes on. And God says through Joel, "I will enter in judgment with them there." This is the battle of Armageddon, where the nations of the world, under the leadership of the antichrist seek the final solution. It is a hatred of Israel? Yes and no, it is a hatred of the seed of Israel that can save the whole world. There is one more step required for God's victory; it is for the Jews to acknowledge Jesus as a savior. Jesus promised that they will not see him again until they acknowledge him as Lord and call upon him. And so, that is Satan's last trump card. Destroy the nation and you destroy the return of the Messiah.

PRAYER: Father, we are guilty of sin and deserving of judgment. We have no excuse. We have no argument -- only the fools think they will argue. No, most of the planet will grind their teeth in an unquenchable fire because they refused to believe. I pray that I would live in such a way that people would see the joy of the Lord in my life. I pray it would attract them to the savior. I pray I can save some from the deadly time that is coming.

QT 3 Sep 2020. Joel 2:25, It is still not too late to change

Joel 2:25 (ESV) — 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.

NOTE: This verse is used by many and probably out of context. It is a literal promise to the nation of Israel. But the verse has poetic beauty and it does correlate to other verses in scripture. God does make new things out of what the world has muddied.

• Acts 3:19–20 (ESV) — 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
• Romans 8:21–23 (ESV) — 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
• Psalm 91:14–16 (ESV) — 14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) — 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

So, the concept of restoration has deep biblical roots. It is never too late to return to God and begin a deep relationship with Jesus Christ. God longs to restore those who repent from the heart. Actually, there is a time where it is too late to return to God. The more we reject God's commands, the more hardened our heart becomes. During the tribulation, there will be events, such as the taking of the mark and the pledge of fealty to the antichrist that will be irrevocable decisions.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for forgiveness. Thank you for mercy. Thank you for the blood of Jesus Christ which cleanses us completely. We are unworthy of such a great salvation.

QT 2 Sep 2020, Joel 2:18, Taste and see that the Lord is good

Joel 2:18 (ESV) — Then the Lord became jealous for his land

and had pity on his people.

NOTE: The interesting aspect of God is how much he loves. Even in the midst of judgment, he loves people. He desires them to experience joy. Which is why a real relationship with God is so important. All other happiness and joy are temporary and (as we say in the math world) sub-optimal. We substitute good for the best. God desires for us to experience the best, which means returning to him and knowing him. But we settle for the things of this world and they don't provide the joy, peace, and gladness that only God can truly provide. Someday, the world will be set right and we will see what was really planned in the garden and we will be so embarrassed that we chased after junk.

PRAYER: Have mercy on us God for our foolishness. We talk about you, but we don't seek to really know you and to let you change and transform our life. Open our eyes to truth. Protect us from Satan's lies. Oh that we might "taste and see that the Lord is good."

QT 1 Sep 2020, Joel 2:13, We need to let go of works

Joel 2:13a (ESV) — "… and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

NOTE: During a period of mourning or a fast or repentance, it was common practice to tear your clothes open, "rend your garments." The problem with people is that we take a heart response and make it into an action or a works, as if worshipping God was mechanical and prescribed. There is no reality in this, at least not with God. People don't understand that God is not a religion, he is a person with emotion, intellect, and will. He sees through our shams and pretenses. He is not fooled. The only person who is fooled by our "works" are the individuals involved. They will stand before the Lord Jesus on the day of judgment complaining about all the things they had done in his name, and Jesus will cast them out saying, "I never knew you." Oh Church, we need to stop rending garments and start rending our hearts.

PRAYER: Father, open the eyes of the church, and the so-called church (the birds nesting in the branches). Open our eyes to the reality of the unseen. Help us to grow weary of the seen. Show us the meaninglessness of the wares of this world. May we desire you instead.