Nov 30, 2025
JOEL 2:28-3:
An attack by an army of locusts must be so frightening! What
descriptions! And even worse when God is bringing the attack as an
act of judgement. Yet Joel offers hope. He encourages the people to
come back to God and beg for the Lord’s help. We will pick up today
re-reading the famous part of Joel 2.
ISAIAH 44b:
In the first part of this chapter God said:
Is. 44:3 NLT For I will pour out
water to quench your thirst
and to irrigate your parched fields.
And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants,
and my blessing on your children.
4 They will thrive like watered grass,
like willows on a riverbank.
5 Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the LORD.’
Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of Jacob.’
Then God gave a lecture on the futility of idols. I love the irony in the verses we read today:
Is. 44:19 NLT The person who made
the idol never stops to reflect,
“Why, it’s just a block of wood!
2TIMOTHY 3:
We heard the wonderful encouragements to Timothy in chapter 2. Note
that Paul did not explain everything to Timothy, but invited him to
ponder what he had said. I urge all of us to similarly ponder and
spend time meditating on what Paul said.
Note what Paul says about God’s Word in contrast to his being in chains: “The word of God cannot be chained.” Yay, God! May your Word accomplish what you have sent it to do!
NLT Translation note:
2Tim. 3:15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood,
and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that
comes by [believing/trusting] in Christ Jesus.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.