JOEL

Chapter 1

What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten. (v.4) God will get your attention when you’re going the wrong way. That’s the heart of what Joel was getting at with an interesting verse like this one. Again, the passion and devotion of the people of God were being given elsewhere. They we going the wrong way. So God, in His love and desire to have them back, used something like locust and the devastation it would bring to open their eyes to the pain that comes along with a path not after Himself. God will get your attention to if your life isn’t after Him. Maybe He’ll use locust, doubt it though. He will though allow things to take place in our story that will open our eyes to the damage a life away from Him brings and open them to the need for Him in our story. I encourage you to listen to the first “nudges” God places in your life. The ones that are a simple telling you that the direction you’re going isn’t good for you. When we overlooked and shrug off those nudges, God will nudge a little harder. Why? Because He loves to bring about pain in your story? Absolutely not. He wants to keep unneeded pain out of your story which is why He’s directing you away from the path without Him. Know the nudges are not to harm you, but to direct you back to Him and back into the life that will truly be the fulfillment you are looking for. – Daily DEVO 39

Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? Joel 1:16 – Interesting how there was a correlation between the lack of offerings being given to God and the lack that the people of God had. If you remember, one of the plagues that God used to open the eyes of Pharaoh to the power of God was the same as we see God’s people facing here, locust. God is wanting His people to see their need to turn back to Him. As He has done in the past He is using what He has dominion over to open the eyes of those who have turned away. God’s going to use this same power when it comes to us and our pursuit of Him. Does that mean He’s going to force us to follow Him? Not at all, but He will get our attention when our focus is elsewhere. Where is your focus at today? As we’ll see further on in our readings, God just wants His people that He has saved to follow Him. Let that be your heart today. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1189

The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel: Joel 1:1 – Here in the book of Joel God uses this locust plague and severe drought to open the eyes of the people to the level of devastation that was to come soon as a result of their sin. What we see in this first verse is that God’s Word came to Joel and Joel was given the task to tell that message to the people God directed him to. Joel was given a message and then he shared the message. We too have been given a message and we too are expected to share it. Jesus has come into our world, died for the sin of all, made a way to have life everlasting with Him, and that way is open to all who take it. This is the gospel message we’ve been given, and like Joel, we’re expected to tell that message. Will you? Our cities need churches that are unashamed of the gospel and are sharing the message we’ve been given. If we don’t, we’ll just keep seeing devastation and drought plaguing our cities when life could be flowing through it instead. Like Joel, we have a message to share. Seek someway somehow with someone today to share the message of the Gospel. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2074

Chapter 2

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.  For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls. (v.32) This has a familiar start to the passage doesn’t it? We see here in Joel where Paul was referring back to when writing the book of Romans. For us who are in a relationship with Christ, this familiar message in Joel means everything. Anyone that calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Among those who make it are those whom the Lord cried out to and who responded to His call. Have you ever pondered why you though? Why would God offer His love and hand out to you and allow you to carry the title of “survivor?” First understand the reason why is He loves you. He did all that He did to just be with you. What comes next is our response to that massive love. How are we going to celebrate our survival and new life? By inviting others into this new life should be our answer. Sadly enough though, too often Christians will celebrate their survival and new life by making no change at all to their life. There has to be a point in your story where you realize the blessing you’ve been given with this new life and start thanking God for it with your life. Never sharing His name, never using your gifts, never stepping up, that’s what everyone else is doing. We’ve been saved. We’re not like everyone else. Use this new life you’ve been blessed with to make Him known and to show others that they can be saved to. – Daily DEVO 40

Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths. They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path; they burst through the weapons and are not halted. Joel 2:7-8 – If this was being said of God’s people, what an encouragement it would be. Fighting like mighty warriors, not swerving to the left or to the right, not being halted by the enemies weapons. Yet this wasn’t being said of God’s people but of the invaders that were to come against Israel due to their sinfulness. God’s hope though for Israel, and His hope for us is that we’ll be like this. Steadfast in our mission, not causing our brother next to us to get out of line. Not letting obstacles or attacks halt us but pressing through. Let’s challenge ourselves to be more like the warriors spoken about within this passage for God. Steadfast, focused, unstoppable. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1190

Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. Joel 2:3 – This is a picture for us today as to what our sin can cause in our story. It can take something beautiful and leave it a wasteland. In our passage God is seeking to show them what their land in going to look like once His wrath is poured out on their sinfulness. He is using the locust invasion to give them a visual idea of what sort of devastation is going to be coming their way when this invading army steps on the scene. What was once beautiful will now be a wilderness. What was once full of life will just be filled with death. Church, please hear this is still the end result of our sin if we don’t repent and give our sin over to God. If we kept choosing sin after we’ve been directed by God to let it go, we’re going to start seeing a wasteland created in our story. We’re going to see our story empty of solid relationships, lacking joy, and a dryness to our life due to our lack of an intimate walk with Jesus. A garden of Eden beauty is possible in our story, but when we choose sin we are choosing a wasteland over Eden. What sin then have we been refusing to turn from? Today needs to be different than yesterday when it comes to your sin. God’s inviting you into a beautiful life with Him, but sin has to be let go of. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2075

Chapter 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. (v.3) It’s heartbreaking in ministry when you hear someone is being mistreated. Doesn’t have to be physical abuse, but possibly someone found out there special someone has another special someone. Could be they are feeling isolated from their family because of their choice to follow Christ and the rest of the family’s distain for religion. Mistreatment shatters confidence, removes worth, and creates a feeling of being unlovable. All this is why God is leading you away from giving your life to anything but Him. In the end, anything we give our life to other than Him will mistreat us. We’ll find ourselves in a broken and confused state because what we thought was what we needed turned out to be anything but that. If you’re exhausted with finding yourself drained, belittled, and unfulfilled, step away from whatever you’ve devoted your life to and direct it onto God. He encourages. He builds confidence. He created love so expect that to be overflowing in your story. If that sounds appealing, it’s understandable why you’d want it. Being with God like this is such a good life that Jesus died so you could take part in it. Allow God to bless you with what He’s longing to bless you with. Give up on those unfulfilling drains in your life and begin pouring yourself into our connection with God. – Daily DEVO 41

For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem… Joel 3:1 – Not if, but when. When it comes to being restored after we’ve been emptied out by life’s troubles, we don’t want the promise from God to be “If” I come through for you, you’ll be filled. We need it to be “when” I come through for you. This is the confidence we can have in our God. He doesn’t work on a “if” type of relationship with us. God always comes through for His children and never lets one of His promises remain unfulfilled. You can move forward today, even if you are moving forward after being deeply emptied by the circumstances of life, with a sureness that God is going to restore His followers. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1191

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, 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. Joel 3:2-3 – God’s deep judgement and wrath is coming on these people. Why? Because they treated His own people with no value and let sin be their guide on how they handle others. What we see in this passage is that God values the lives of His creations and commands those lives to be treated with dignity, love, and honor. Is this life in the womb, God says value it. Is this life a struggling, pregnant mom, God says value it. Did this life vote no, God says value it. Did this life vote yes, God says value it. Is this life in foster care? Is this life addicted to a substance? Is this life living in sin? Is this life a Muslim? Is this life an atheist? Is this life broken? Is this life lost? Is this life hopeless? Is this life a politician? Is this life believing in ways you don’t? Is this life saying things on social media you don’t agree with? Is this life your neighbor? Is this life a creation of God who is a co-imager bearer of His who Jesus died on the cross for that you’ve been called to show the message of salvation too? Then God says to value such a life. I don’t care if they voted differently than you and hold different values than you, God still commands you as His follower to love them deeply, value their life, and treat them like Jesus would. Let close with this, I’m sure glad when Jesus went to the cross, He didn’t specify who His sacrifice could save based on a way they voted. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2076