Joel 2:27-28
27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. 28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
God had abundantly blessed Judah, but the people had taken God and His blessings for granted. Their faith had degenerated into an empty formalism and their lives into moral decadence. "Under divine inspiration Joel told the people that the locust plague was a warning of a greater judgment that was imminent unless they repented and returned to full fellowship with God. If they did, God would abundantly pardon them, restore the health of the land, and give them again the elements needed to offer the sacrifices. The ceremonial system was designed to express a heart relationship with God. By their sin they had forfeited any right to religious ceremony"
The above words come from Al Maxey who is commenting on this minor prophet. As I read his word it made me stop and think about the ways in which I may be take God and His blessings for granted. Have I in any way reduced my relationship with God down to empty formalism? This is not the place that i desire my relationship with God to be. I do not want anything in my life to hinder what God is trying to in my life or with ministry of The Compass.
So here are my questions for you as you consider this scripture during your meal fast.
1) Are you taking God for granted?
2) What are the areas in your life that you need to repent of?
3) Could any of your actions be hindering the ministry of The Compass?
As you pray today and wait to hear from God. Please pray for God's continual direction of our ministry together. Hold up the need for our weekly location. As well we need God to provide Kingdom Labors so that we can do the work that our Lord has set before us. As always if you have any comments or feel God pressing anything on you about our ministry please use the comment button below. May God bless you during this fast.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tuesday Meal Fast, June 17th
Zephaniah 3:16-17
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. 17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
I prefer explaining this text as the calm silent joy in the possession of the object of one's love, too great for words to express: just as God after the six days of creation rested with silent satisfaction in His work, for "behold it was very good" (Genesis 1:31, 2:2). So the parallel clause by contrast expresses the joy, not kept silent as this, but uttered in "singing."
He will rejoice over you with joy, He will not only be well pleased with you, upon your repentance and reformation, He will take you into His favor, but He will take a complacency in you, as the bridegroom does in his bride, or the bride in her ornaments, Isaiah 62:3-5. The conversion of sinners and the consolation of saints are the joy of angels, for they are the joy of God him-self.
Where are the places in your life that you know God has been singing over you and the places you need God to sing over you? What other insight has God shown you in this scripture? Feel free to send a comment back to me.
The reason for our time of fasting (weather you do a meal fast or an all day fast) for June and July is to direct our time of prayer towards our needs. Here are some of our needs:
1) We need a gifted person to lead our children's ministry for the long term.
2) We need more labors that can continue to help us grow and equip people for the work that God has for us.
3) We need our location locked down as we look towards September and the start of our weekly worship services.
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. 17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
I prefer explaining this text as the calm silent joy in the possession of the object of one's love, too great for words to express: just as God after the six days of creation rested with silent satisfaction in His work, for "behold it was very good" (Genesis 1:31, 2:2). So the parallel clause by contrast expresses the joy, not kept silent as this, but uttered in "singing."
He will rejoice over you with joy, He will not only be well pleased with you, upon your repentance and reformation, He will take you into His favor, but He will take a complacency in you, as the bridegroom does in his bride, or the bride in her ornaments, Isaiah 62:3-5. The conversion of sinners and the consolation of saints are the joy of angels, for they are the joy of God him-self.
Where are the places in your life that you know God has been singing over you and the places you need God to sing over you? What other insight has God shown you in this scripture? Feel free to send a comment back to me.
The reason for our time of fasting (weather you do a meal fast or an all day fast) for June and July is to direct our time of prayer towards our needs. Here are some of our needs:
1) We need a gifted person to lead our children's ministry for the long term.
2) We need more labors that can continue to help us grow and equip people for the work that God has for us.
3) We need our location locked down as we look towards September and the start of our weekly worship services.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Wake Up and Draw Near
“Let us then draw the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” Hebrews 4:16
It is a great thing to know that we don’t need to wake God up since the God who watches over us neither slumbers nor sleeps Psalm 121:3! In reality, we’re the ones who need to wake up. We need to wake up to the truth that we are not as capable as we think we are to deal with life’s challenges; that our wisdom and instincts are flawed; that trying to manage life by the seat of our pants usually gets us into a heap of trouble.
So, thankfully, the writer to the Hebrews assures us that we can come to Jesus with what the text literally says is “unstaggering confidence”—confidence that He understands our plight and is ready to help us in our time of need. And, in case you’re wondering how He will help you in your time of need, think about His grace that will help you endure, His mercy, His power to overcome, His wisdom to show you the way. And don’t forget His calming presence and His peace that passes understanding in the midst of life’s storms. They are all available for the asking!
So, next time you are overwhelmed with life and don’t know what to do, take a little advice from my friend Eloise: wake Him up! And don’t wait until He is your last resort. You’ll get exhausted and disheartened if you try to bail out your boat all by yourself!
There is an old song that people sing in churches. It goes, “I need thee, Oh, I need thee! Every hour I need thee! Oh, bless me now my Savior, I come to thee.” You’ll need Him sometime—probably today—so make that the theme song of your life.
YOUR JOURNEY…
Would you say that Jesus is your first option when life gets in your face? Or is He your last resort?
What specific steps can you take toward being aware of God’s presence and desire to step in and help you?
At least once today, plan to intentionally call on God. Ask for His wisdom to know what to do and His grace to do it in a way that would be pleasing to Him. Make it a daily!
This has been adapted from some recent reading.
It is a great thing to know that we don’t need to wake God up since the God who watches over us neither slumbers nor sleeps Psalm 121:3! In reality, we’re the ones who need to wake up. We need to wake up to the truth that we are not as capable as we think we are to deal with life’s challenges; that our wisdom and instincts are flawed; that trying to manage life by the seat of our pants usually gets us into a heap of trouble.
So, thankfully, the writer to the Hebrews assures us that we can come to Jesus with what the text literally says is “unstaggering confidence”—confidence that He understands our plight and is ready to help us in our time of need. And, in case you’re wondering how He will help you in your time of need, think about His grace that will help you endure, His mercy, His power to overcome, His wisdom to show you the way. And don’t forget His calming presence and His peace that passes understanding in the midst of life’s storms. They are all available for the asking!
So, next time you are overwhelmed with life and don’t know what to do, take a little advice from my friend Eloise: wake Him up! And don’t wait until He is your last resort. You’ll get exhausted and disheartened if you try to bail out your boat all by yourself!
There is an old song that people sing in churches. It goes, “I need thee, Oh, I need thee! Every hour I need thee! Oh, bless me now my Savior, I come to thee.” You’ll need Him sometime—probably today—so make that the theme song of your life.
YOUR JOURNEY…
Would you say that Jesus is your first option when life gets in your face? Or is He your last resort?
What specific steps can you take toward being aware of God’s presence and desire to step in and help you?
At least once today, plan to intentionally call on God. Ask for His wisdom to know what to do and His grace to do it in a way that would be pleasing to Him. Make it a daily!
This has been adapted from some recent reading.
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