Joel 2 || ◇◇ Devotional

For the day of the Lord cometh, it is nigh at hand.

Okay, if you're like me, when you come to a Bible reference or anything like, that, a certain chapter in your Bible study, you will say , I have already read that..so what's the use of reading it again?? ..and then move on without much of a thought. You might feel guilty at first, but soon it is forgotten. Guys, this is an AWFUL habit. I'm trying really hard and praying a lot about it this month. I'm on day 25 of my Bible study and really enjoying it.  Tip: When you are reading something that seems useless and boring, imagine the whole picture in your head. You can do this with practically any part of the Bible! So here we're practicing that with Joel 2.  When you are reading this part of chapter 2, act like it's a book. That didn't always help me because as y'all know, I don't really like reading. But nonetheless, the picture it painted was crazy. Moons of blood and starts that withdrew their shine...God is seriously the best author..of everything.
	Joe 2:2	A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
	Joe 2:3	A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
	Joe 2:4	The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
	Joe 2:5	Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
	Joe 2:6	Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
	Joe 2:7	They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
	Joe 2:8	Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
	Joe 2:9	They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
	Joe 2:10	The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
	Joe 2:11	And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
	Joe 2:12	Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
So, what did you think? And it wasn't even that terribly long eh?	Joe 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.

At the place of the sea

Have you been to the red sea place in your life,
Where in spite of all you can do
There is no way back, there is no way out, there is no other way than-through?
Than wait on the Lord with a trust serene,
Till the night of your fears are gone
And he will send the wind, He will heap the floods,
When He says to your soul, "Go On. "
And His hand will lead you through, clear through
Ere' the watery walls roll down,
No foe can reach you, no wave can touch,
No mightiest sea can drown;
The tossing billows may rear their crests,
Their foam at your feet may break
But over their bed you shall walk try shod,
In the path that your Lord will make.
In the morning watch, 'neath the lifted cloud,
And you shall see but the Lord alone
When He leads you on from the place of the sea,
To a land that you have not known;
And your fears will pass as your foes have passed,
You shall be no more afraid;
You shall sing His praise in a better place
A place that His hand has made.

This poem made me think of someone I know,  that is going to Africa this June.  Please pray for her as she chases after God!


I hope this has encouraged you in any way!
Prayers for all of you,
Paige

we are just one strand.

Think of a rug. One of those big gorgeous colorfully weaved, beautiful rug.
That is like God's plan. One day, he will show us the whole picture, but for now, we are just one strand, in that big beautiful rug. Just one strand.
His plan is best! My saviour doesn't make mistakes!
God can do anything-except... fail!
      "Acknowledge Him in all thy ways, and He shall direct thy paths. "
Proverbs 3:6
       "God is my strength and power; He maketh my way prefect. "
2 Samuel 22:33

Trust him, surrender yourself unto him. Life is a gift and we could lose it at any time. Start living your life as though someone is always watching you, because Jesus is! Be thankful. Rejoice in everything! And one last thing. Always be a little kinder than necessary!

I hope you all have a great weekend!
Christian love,
Paige

 These are two of my favorite pictures!

Faith is, "I don't understand, but I will."

I don't understand why I am to do this, but, since you said I should, I will.
When we don't understand something in the Bible, do we say, "I know that the Lord knows what He is talking about, He knows what He is doing!" I don't!  I want to figure out why I should do this. I want to make sure that there isn't another way to do it, before I actually do it.
Faith is also a matter of trust. "I trust that YOU know what is best Lord." How could Noah build the ark if he didn't trust that the Lord was right and was going to keep His promise? He couldn't. We need to trust the Lord if we are going to obey Him.
Faith is also blind obedience. We know the commandment, "Thou shalt not lie" and we could ask "why?". But {most} of us try not to lie, just because it simply says not to. Is it any different then other subjects? No!
Lying is just easier to not do, sometimes. It is the things that are harder to do that takes faith, in other words, blind obedience. ( Dressing modestly, praying, memorizing scripture, etc.)
For another example, what if the Lord laid it upon your heart to go to China and share the gospel. He provided the money, supplies, and Bibles. What if the Lord wanted you to deliver Bibles and get them across the Romanian boarder and into the hands of Christians that have waited their whole lives for one. Would you?
It would take a lot of faith to do a life-risking job like that, well, probably a ton!
Faith is something that we will never be a professional at. Faith always can grow a little more!


                       "This is what the Lord says.
                        If you have faith,
                        like a little grain of mustard
                        you can say to a mountain,
                        move away, and it will move."
                            ~Matthew 17:20~