Brown's Daily Word 6-2-09

Good morning,
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. One of the problems we wrestle with in the life of the church is indifference. Our Lord is concerned about the indifference of His people towards the things of the Kingdom. The Word of God declares that the Lord of the church detests a spirit of unconcern and luke-warmness. He calls for passion and zeal.
In Joel 2 there is a command to “blow the trumpet and sound the alarm”. Again, this is written in the imperative and it is written with urgency. To blow the trumpet was to announce to the people that something important was occurring. The Lord said the reason you are to do this is that the “Day of the Lord” is coming. God will judge unconcerned lifestyles. We have the responsibility to let people know that God still judges indifference. In Joel 2:8 we are commanded to return back to the Lord. The Lord instructs us to give Him all of your heart. How many times are we guilty of being half-hearted in our partial obedience to God? The Lord must be Lord of all or He is not Lord at all. It is not enough to just give God control over part of your life; that will certainly lead to indifference. He must have control over all. He is calling, “Turn to Me with all your heart”. Joel 2:9 commands to “rend their hearts, and not their garments”. Among the Jews, a sign of extreme sorrow was to take the outer garment, and tear it as a sign of mourning and sorrow. God was telling them to do more than just go through the motions of being sorry for their sins. Truly look at your heart and rend it. Be broken-hearted for your sins. In Psalm 34:18 it is written, "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Joel 2:10 goes on to say that for those who rend (break) their hearts, God is close to them. God gives words of special comfort to those who are broken. Once we deal with our indifference toward the things of God, and follow His commands as Joel gave them, God promises special words of comfort. God invites us to see His Nature. (Joel 2:13) "And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil." Note that God is full of grace and mercy. If we will but turn to Him, He will be gracious to us. Psalm 86:15, "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth." God is also slow to anger. If we were to receive what we so really deserve every time that we fail God, we would be in serious trouble indeed. Yet, we do not need to fear that God will turn us away. God assures us that if we turn to Him, God will truly give an abundance. God desires for His church to be involved in the harvest, but because we have become indifferent, and intoxicated with worldly cares, we no longer have the abundance of a good harvest. When we return back to Him, when we follow the commands that He has given, He promises an abundant harvest. Joel also mentions the vats being filled with wine and oil. Wine, throughout the Old Testament, is a symbol for joy. The Lord's promise to us is that, if we return completely unto Him, He will restore the fullness of joy. Verse 25 promises restoration of what has been lost because of the judgment of God. Satan may steal from us when we are intoxicated and not aware, but when we return back to Him, He will restore all that has been stolen away. God invites us to see His Nearness. God promises in verse 27 that He will be near. He will be in the midst of His people. His people will experience His closeness. In verse 28 the prophet went on to say that God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. That is, God will be near, for His Spirit will be upon His people. When we return to Him, when we get hungry for our God, He will pour out His Spirit so that we can experience the nearness of God.
In His Grace,
Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhOJW4Uwy3c