Blow the Trumpet

"I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten--

You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,

and you will praise the name of the LORD your God,

who has worked wonders for you;

never again will my people be shamed.

Then you will know that I am in Israel,

that I am the LORD your God,

and that there is no other;

never again will my people be shamed."

Joel 2:25a,26,27

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

"Breakfast of Champions"

"Every kiss begins with Kay"

"It takes a licking and keeps on ticking."

A good advertising slogan contains a call to action; a challenge to test the product at it's producer's word.  A dare to see if what they say is true.  After seeing the claim, I want to improve my health so I vow to eat my daily serving of apples.  I want to prove that I am a champion by eating Wheaties or I give a gift of jewelry so I can receive the inevitable kiss or I buy the watch that can handle all the abuse I can dish out.  I am inspired to do something.

God sent many prophets to deliver to His people a call to action.  It did not, however, come in the form of slick advertising campaigns.  Instead, He simply exhorted His people to, "Blow the trumpet in Zion." (Joel 2:15)  He said to send a summons to all those who call upon His Name that now is the time to back our words up with deeds.   

Now is the time for action.  Now is the time to turn our hearts back to God and become fully absorbed by Him.  Or as Oswald Chambers says, now is the time "to live and move and have our being in God, to look at everything in relation to God, because the abiding consciousness of God pushes itself to the front all the time." 

"Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD?" (Psalm 25:12) The trumpet is sounding.

Restored

God is a just and holy God.  His judgment is merciful and fair; He only gives what is need to bring me back in a right relationship with Him.  The astounding reality of God is that He is both righteous and merciful. . . all at the same time.  So, the same God who hands down punishment will also pick up the pieces after the time of discipline is over.  

Nowhere is this more evident than in the gospel.  God's own righteousness requires that my sin earns death.  Because of my disobedience to God's perfect law, I am under a death sentence. But, since He is also a merciful and loving God, He saved me from His own judgement by sending Jesus to take my punishment.  I am saved by God, from God.  

This gives me hope.  Even when I stray far away and God has to bring out the big guns to get my attention, He promises to repair any damage done by His act of judgement.  

For instance, when the people of God were turning their backs on Him during the time of the prophet Joel, God sent a plague of locusts to destroy the land of Judah.  If that were the extent of the message, it would be pretty dismal indeed.  God, however, is a God of hope.  And He wants to encourage His beloved people with the thought that once the punishment was over, God would re-establish the fruitfulness once enjoyed by His people.

If I am suffering through a time of drought, I can be assured that the life-giving rain will return.  If I am in the middle of reaping the pain of the hurtful seeds I sowed, I can know without a doubt that God will put the broken pieces back together.  If I am going through a lonely time of worry or sickness, I can trust that God will nurse me back to health.

Responding to the call to action and committing my life to God through faith in Jesus Christ means my wounds will be bound, my broken heart will be healed, and my faith, restored.

Reinstated   

Recently, a meat clerk at a grocery store chain jumped from behind the counter to come to the defense of a pregnant woman who was being kicked by her boyfriend.  He was promptly suspended from his position by his employer on the grounds of a zero-tolerance policy for workplace violence.  After customers boycotted the store in protest, however, the company reinstated him to his former position.  This is the kind of worker I think any business owner would be proud to support.  Sometimes, however, our human sense of justice is out of balance.

In contrast, God never acts unjustly.  If a sentence is handed down and carried out, I can be sure I deserved what was coming to me.  God is always concerned, however, with His good name.  Just as I can't help but lower my sense of regard for the particular grocery store chain that took the unfair action in the above example, if God continually acted in an unfair way toward His people then He would become an object of the world's scorn and mockery.   People may begin to wonder what kind of God would treat His people this way.

For this reason, God blesses obedience.  When I fall out of line, I can expect discipline for, "The LORD disciplines those he loves." (Proverbs 3:12)  When I come back to Him, however, I can trust that He will reinstate me to a position of plenty and abundance.  As the Apostle Paul wrote, "my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)  

Responding to the call to action and giving my all to God results in the blessing of an overflowing cup of His goodness.  

Redeemed

Stanley "Tookie" Williams,  founder of the Crips street gang in South Central Los Angeles in1969, was sentenced to death for murdering four people in cold blood.  While on death row, he had a change of heart and began trying to redeem himself by trying to bring an end to gang violence.  However, he continued to refuse to help authorities to investigate crimes committed by his fellow gang members up until his death by lethal injection in 2005.  His attempts to compensate for his crimes by doing some good fell short.  Since God was not a part of his efforts, the impact was minimal and superficial at best.

God is the One who knows how to fully redeem a sinner.  As He said to His people as recorded in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

True release from the burden of my sins only comes by submitting my life to God through faith in Jesus Christ.  The healing that He brings is permanent, deep and meaningful.  Then, I will be called His child and He will call Himself my God.  The relationship is restored and my life has been redeemed from the pit.

No longer will I need to work so hard to try to make up for everything I have done wrong: I have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus.

No longer will I find it necessary to punish myself for all the ways I fall short; I have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus.

No longer will I think I need to deny myself good things like the love of another human; I have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus.

Unlike Williams' efforts, only a commitment to living my life for God will bring about real redemption.  It is then that He will once again call Himself my God and I can rest peacefully in His arms.

The trumpet is blowing in Zion!  It is calling God's people to come back to Him so that He can repair the damage done by His righteous right hand, bless obedience with the reinstatement of the abundance of His goodness, and redeem His people as His precious possession.  Heed the call of the trumpet, O people of God, and act!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will pay attention to what God is telling me to do today.

When do I ignore His calling and simple continue along, status quo?

How do I try to make up for past mistakes without repenting and receiving the forgiveness of God.

My Wayward Heart

"Even now," declares the LORD,

"return to me with your heart,

with fasting and weeping and mourning.

Rend your heart and not your garments.

Return to the LORD your God,

for he is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and abounding in love,

and he relents from sending calamity.

Be not afraid, O land;

be glad and rejoice.

Surely the LORD has done great things."

Joel 2:12,13,21

I go to church every Sunday.

I consistently and faithfully study the Bible.

I pray on a regular basis.

I remember to thank God for my food before I eat.

I do my best to put His Word into practice in my daily life.

Wow!  I sound like a pretty solid Christian, don't I?  The only problem is that there are many times when my heart has wandered away from the LORD.  

I may still take part in all the rituals, habits and practices that are necessary to develop a close walk with Him, but my heart is not in it.  I'm going through the motions, possibly even getting some intellectual stimulation and motivation to live a more godly life, but when it comes right down to it, I'm more concerned about my character, my holiness and my godliness than I am about glorifying God.  My motivation is purely selfish with little regard for Him, His will, His Name or His renown.

I have strayed from my One True Love. . . but all is not lost.  There is still time to return.

Return

The prodigal son desired things beyond what his father had provided.  He wanted to explore the world and experience all it had to offer.  Soon, though, as he lived it up in that distant land, he fell into hard times.  Once rich, he now yearned for the food he gave to the pigs.  He had hit rock-bottom.  

Finally, he came to his senses and realized how good he once had it in his father's house.  He decided to return, saying to his dad, "I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men." (Luke 15:18-19)

My heart sometimes leads me to faraway lands, distant from God and His people.  My desire for comfort and excitement overpowers me and I am swept away from all the good He has given to me.  I no longer appreciate what He has provided for me and I want more. . . and more . . . and more.   My state of discontent gets me into trouble.  

As with the son in the parable, I have to reach a point where I come to my senses.  Maybe it's when I realize I just can't do it by myself anymore.  Or it hits me that despite all the effort I put into life, I never really feel fulfilled; there's always a hole inside of me.  Or I think back to how good I had it when I lived in my Father's kingdom.  Whatever it is, I become conscious of my need for Jesus.

When this awareness is awakened inside of me, I am suddenly alert to how I have offended God in my rebellion.  I want to return to Him.

Even though I have been unfaithful, my heart can return to God.

Rend

It is said that in order to train a horse, their will, but not their spirit, must be broken.  In other words, the animal must reach a point where he is willing to obey the handler's commands. For some, this is a fairly quick process. For others, however, it could take a lot of patience and persistence until the horse is ready to submit to his trainer.  Until that "breaking point" is reached, a handler can expect a battle of the wills.

In a similar way, the LORD says He is, "close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18)  This is not to say that I am damaged goods, but that my heart hurts over the way my sin has grieved God.  A tender heart is sensitive to the sin found within and painfully aware of the need for Jesus to save me from the punishment I deserve.  A contrite heart is ready to submit to God.

As I humble myself before God, trusting Him to do what I cannot, He shows me things I almost cannot bear.  I think Oswald Chambers said it well when he wrote, "God's Spirit continually reveals what human nature is like apart from His grace."  Apart from Him, I can do nothing.  If this thought does not lead me to broken heart, I don't know what will.  There is nothing good within my own flesh.  I am hopeless without Jesus!

Martin Luther understood the importance of rending, or breaking, my heart before a holy God.  He said, "Until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him."   Trusting God with my life means letting Him start from scratch in remaking me into the woman He created me to be.  

When I return to God, it should be with a broken and contrite heart.

Rejoice

It is fun to look through old photo albums, reminiscing about old times.  One of the things I have noticed, however, is that many times my memory does not match up to reality.  For instance, I always felt like I was pretty big and overweight, but when I look at pictures, I don't seem as hefty as my memories led me to believe.  Sometimes, my perspective is skewed, causing me to see things inaccurately.  

It's not much different with life in general.  There are so many good things around me, if only I'd take the time to look.  Unfortunately, most times I'm too caught up with all my problems, difficulties and the minor irritations of life.  It seems like there's nothing good under the sun! 

Looking for all that He has done take practice.  Once I'm accustomed to seeing His hand in all things, it will become second nature.  For instance, it is easy to walk past my hydrangeas everyday when they're in full-bloom and never really see them.  I am too focused on what's going on inside of my head!  If, instead, I would take a moment to marvel at the beauty of God's creativity, I would rejoice and my heart would be lifted up.

Other times, I fail to notice the small blessings in the midst of each momentary crisis, like the protection of His hand on me as I drive or His mercy in granting an additional day to live my life.

The psalmist reminds me that, "The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." (Psalm 126:3)  Choosing to look at all that God has done, instead of focusing on all that is hard in my life, will bring great joy to my heart.  

When my heart is soft, I am able to see all that He has done in my life. . . and I rejoice!

On the outside, I may seem like I have everything together and that I am close to God, but my heart tells a different story.  It tells a tale of waywardness and a need to return to my Creator.  It highlights my need to see my sin for what it is: an affront to God.  My heart is sorely lacking in eyes to see all that He has done.  It is time for my wayward heart to return Home where it belongs!

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I can humble my heart before a holy God who loves me.  

How do I go through the motions, leaving my heart out of the relationship I have with God?

When is my heart hardened against my sin, seeing it as a flaw instead of as a black hole of evil?