Joel 2:28-32 God delays His judgement out of love

Through God’s Covenant with Abraham all people will have the choice of spending eternity with God through the salvation He gifts mankind in Jesus Christ. God delays the judgement out of His great love for humanity, His creation.

No greater love exists!

Acts 2:21 

And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the LORD

Shall be saved.’

When we experience troubling times, may we also learn to pivot spiritually, recounting God's past faithfulness and trusting Him in our present anguish. May we cry out to Him alone, knowing that our suffering is not unfamiliar to Jesus and that He is the One who can answer our call of distress. Then may we determine to tell of His marvelous wonders and His power to save to all those who will listen. First5 

God, our Shepherd, doesn’t check the weather; he makes it. He doesn’t defy gravity; he created it. Jesus said, “God is Spirit.” He has no limitations. Unchanging. Uncaused. Ungoverned. Don’t we need this kind of shepherd?

You don’t need to carry the burden of a lesser god—a god on a shelf, a god in a box, or a god in a bottle. No, you need a God who can place 100 billion stars in our galaxy and 100 billion galaxies in the universe. A God who can shape two fists of flesh into 75 to 100 billion nerve cells, each with as many as 10,000 connections to other nerve cells, place it in a skull, and call it a brain. And you have one. He is your Shepherd. Max Lucado

Joel 2:28-32

28 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. The New King James Version

The Spirit of Yahweh was an expected part of future redemption. I will pour out my Spirit alludes to a state of prophetic exhilaration brought on by the Spirit of Yahweh. I will set wonders in the heavens echoes earlier descriptions of the cosmic upheaval that will accompany the Day of Yahweh. 

Joel 2:32 everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh was quoted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 10:13. 

The valley of Jehoshaphat an unknown location with a symbolic name that means “the Valley where Yahweh will judge.” This is the place where Yahweh gathers the nations for judgment. 

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all include a tradition of a final divine judgment in this valley. The traditional identification connects the site with the part of the Kidron Valley just east of Jerusalem. The pseudepigraphal book of 1 Enoch also describes a final judgment taking place in a deep valley (1 Enoch 53:1, 54:1). Both Assyria and Babylon were responsible for deporting Israelites. The scattering was one of the punishments emphasized in the covenant curses. Israel became an Assyrian province after 722 bc. Judah was a province of Babylon and Persia (586 bc and 539 bc). Judah had no independent political existence until after the successful Maccabean revolt in 167 bc. Faithlife Study Bible

Afterward indicates the prophetic future; this word is a signal that the text was pointing to the messianic age. Pour out is derived from the imagery of Israel’s heavy winter rains; it speaks here of abundant provision. 

All flesh anticipates the inclusion of both Jews and Gentiles in one body in Christ. The ministries of the Spirit mentioned here were experienced in the early church. The outpouring of the Spirit and the ministries done through His power will be accomplished without regard to gender, age, or class.

The heavenly wonders described here will take place before the great and awesome day of the Lord, an apparent reference to the end times. Blood and fire correspond with Revelations 8:7, 8. Smoke corresponds with Revelations 9:18. Darkness corresponds with Revelations 8:12. Moon into blood corresponds with Revelations 6:12. 

Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord—that is believes—will be saved from the judgment that will fall on the wicked and unbelieving. The NKJV Study Bible

Acts 2:17 

‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,

That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Your young men shall see visions,

Your old men shall dream dreams.

Acts 2:18 

And on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days;

And they shall prophesy.

Acts 2:19 

I will show wonders in heaven above

And signs in the earth beneath:

Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

Acts 2:20 

The sun shall be turned into darkness,

And the moon into blood,

Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.

Matthew 19:16–19 It is finished!

After His resurrection Jesus returned to His Father and now sits at His right hand. 

It was expedient that He fulfill death on the Cross, taking on the sins of the world, so that  Holy Spirit could be sent to indwell those who place their trust in His  salvation. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that through Him the world could be saved John 3:17

Holy Spirit takes the truth and teachings of Jesus and inscribes them on our hearts. We now desire to please God, not the doctrines of man, through our deeds and actions. With Holy Spirit within we are sealed, and precept by precept, we are changed.

In Jesus the blood sacrifice, in the perfect spotless Lamb of God, the sin of mankind was paid in full and as believers we are now, in this present age, abiding in His grace.

In Christ we are  freed  from the bondage of sin! Grace, amazing grace!

When we live from tenderness, we see one another.

And in my reading today, I was grateful for this, from Nicolette Sowder…

May we raise children who love the unloved things
May we raise children
who love the unloved things
– the dandelion, the
worms & spiderlings.
Children who sense
the rose needs the thorn
& run into rainswept days
the same way they turn towards sun…
And when they’re grown &
someone has to speak for those
who have no voice
may they draw upon that
wilder bond, those days of
tending tender things
and be the ones.

Tending tender things indeed. Yes, and amen.

SabbathMoments 

Matthew 19:16–19

16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” The New King James Version

Eternal life describes life in the kingdom of the Messiah, which starts now but extends forever.

God already had defined what is good when He gave the Israelites the 10 commandments. Jesus responds with a representative sampling of the 10 commandments, to which he adds the command about loving one’s neighbor. Faithlife Study Bible

Why do you call Me good may be rephrased as “Why are you asking me concerning what is good?” The only One who can ultimately answer the question about goodness is God. The fact that Jesus went on to answer the question is a quiet claim to deity. The NKJV Study Bible

Exodus 20

1 And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” The New King James Version

Mark 16:16 The simplicity of the Gospel saves

FAITH plus nothing equals salvation.

Faith in Jesus Christ to accomplish what we could not to the glory of God.

We love because God first loved us! 

We live because Jesus died for us!

Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Be generous in prosperity,
and thankful in adversity.
Be fair in thy judgment,
and guarded in thy speech.
Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness,
and a home to the stranger.
Be eyes to the blind,
and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring.
Be a breath of life to the body of humankind,
a dew to the soil of the human heart,
and a fruit upon the tree of humility.
Amen. SabbathMoments 

Mark 16:16

16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. The New King James Version

Those who read Mark and come to recognize Jesus as the Messiah can carry on His mission by bearing witness to His true character, showing love toward God and neighbor, proclaiming forgiveness in Jesus’ name, and awaiting His return. Faithlife Study Bible

gospel (Gk. euangelion) (1:1, 14; 16:15; Matt. 4:23; Rom. 1:1; 1 Pet. 4:17) Strong’s #2098: This Greek word was originally used to describe the “good news” of military victory brought from a messenger to his commander. It then came to mean simply a “good message.” In the NT it means the Good News of salvation: Jesus Christ came to earth to conquer the sin and evil which plague this world by living a sinless life and sacrificially offering Himself on the Cross. In obedience to Christ’s command (16:15), the apostles continued to share this Good News with the rest of the world because it is Christ’s life-giving message to a world that is dying in its sins.

Those who believe in Christ will be saved. The NKJV Study Bible

John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 16:31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

1 Corinthians 8:9–13 Offense

Our freedom in Jesus Christ should never offend. His grace covers all of us who believe and trust Him!!

We should be very careful not to offend those believers who have differing views from our own. All God’s children are precious in His sight.

Matthew 25:45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

A tender heart is a gift to embrace. And a gift to spill. A gift that changes the world. When we live from tenderness, we see one another.

Our well-being is grounded in grace. Let me repeat that… Our well-being is grounded in grace. And grace is a voice much bigger than all the other attachments where we may park value or significance. We see that dignity alive in the hearts and souls of those around us. Now, courage takes on a new meaning. Giving us the permission to say yes to choices that invite more soft hearts in a world that needs them.

When we see with our heart, we know that, regardless of our differences, we are on this journey together. A tender heart affirms the inherent value in others, and asks, “What’s next?”

You know, the question the Good Samaritan asked as he stopped for the man in ditch. Why? Because he knew what it was like to be wounded too. You see, once we are open...
...to having our stereotypes contradicted,
...to giving up our expectations and demands,
...to embracing our brokenness,
...we find 

"There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter." (Mother Teresa)

When we see with our heart, we are grounded. We are conscious---present---no longer numbed. And tender hearts create sanctuaries for those left out. So, if ever there was a time for tender hearted, courageous men and women to step forward, it is now. SabbathMoments 

There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart. Jane Austen

1 Corinthians 8:9–13

9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. The New King James Version

The knowledgeable believers were correct in their view of idols, but it did not matter. If the weaker brothers and sisters saw other believers eating food offered to idols, they might also eat, in violation of their own conscience. To go against the conscience was in fact sinning. By their knowledge the stronger believers were causing the weaker believers to stumble. Paul exhorted the strong believers to show love to the weaker ones by refraining from offending them. The NKJV Study Bible

The Corinthians who considered themselves more spiritual assumed that they had the right to do whatever they wanted without considering the effects of their actions upon other believers. 

Some Corinthian believers not only ate meat sacrificed to idols but ate within the idol’s temple. These meals caused some weak believers to return to their idolatrous practices. Paul advises these believers to choose a private venue to eat their meals. Some believers who participated in idol feasts may have assumed they were helping the weak believers, but they were actually hurting their relationship with God. 

Paul considers it sinful behavior for a believer to exercise their rights in a way that harms a fellow member of the church. The Corinthians must realize that their actions affect the entire community of believers. 

“I will never eat meat” expresses the distance that Paul is willing to go to demonstrate his love for fellow believers. Although Paul knows that it is theoretically acceptable to consume meat sacrificed to idols, he does not act on such knowledge or appeal to his right to freedom. Instead, he bases his decisions concerning ethically neutral matters on his love for believers in Christ. Faithlife Study Bible

He who has the Spirit of Christ in him, will love those whom Christ loved so as to die for them. Injuries done to Christians, are done to Christ; but most of all, the entangling them in guilt: wounding their consciences, is wounding him. We should be very tender of doing any thing that may occasion stumbling to others, though it may be innocent in itself. And if we must not endanger other men’s souls, how much should we take care not to destroy our own! Let Christians beware of approaching the brink of evil, or the appearance of it, though many do this in public matters, for which perhaps they plead plausibly. Men cannot thus sin against their brethren, without offending Christ, and endangering their own souls. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Romans 14:15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.

Romans 14:20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.

Romans 14:21 it is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.

1 Corinthians 8:4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

Romans 11:25-33 The truth of God's promises

The word of God is irrevocable! 

His promises are from generation to generation to those who have placed their trust in Him.

Isaiah 59:21 “As for Me,” says the LORD, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the LORD, “from this time and forevermore.”

Jeremiah 31:34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Loving God,
I sense that all is your creation
and everything, and all of us,
are being drawn back toward your loving heart.
Help me to be a person of peace,
To speak about it in an uneasy world,
And to live it among the people
you have put into my life every day.
Light in me a desire to prepare for your coming
to stand in the darkness, waiting, eager and filled with joy.
Sabbath Moments

Romans 11:25-33

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 

26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”  28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. 

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! The New King James Version

Paul ends his discussion of Israel’s place within God’s redemptive plan by looking ahead to the future restoration of all Israel. Earlier, Paul alluded to the salvation of a remnant of Israel and a hardening of the rest. Here, he explains that Israel’s hardening is only partial and will endure only until the full number of Gentiles are saved.

In this context, this term probably refers to three difficult issues that Paul discusses in the passage: Israel’s partial hardening, the inclusion of the Gentiles as part of God’s people, and Israel’s future role in God’s plan of salvation. Paul hopes that the Gentile Christians will not become proud or boastful of their inclusion into the people of God. 

Mystery likely alludes to predictions that one day all nations will worship Yahweh. This also could refer to the completion of the mission to reach all people with the gospel. Paul viewed his ministry to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people) as integral to the fulfillment of this plan. Election may refer to the nation of Israel proper—whether all of Abraham’s natural descendants, or only the elect individuals within ethnic Israel. Alternatively, it could refer to Israel as symbolic of God’s elect—all who are now part of God’s people (both Jews and Gentiles).

This is the covenant is a quotation from Isaiah 59: 21 In the larger context of Isaiah, the covenant is mediated by the Suffering Servant. Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy, acting as the intercessor between God and humanity. Because of disobedience refers to Israel’s rejection of Jesus. God allowed unfaithfulness—to which He responds in mercy. Faithlife Study Bible

If believers do not understand this mystery, chances are they will be wise in their own opinion, meaning they will be haughty and boast. The mystery is that Israel has been temporarily and partially hardened, but God has not rejected them. 

The Jews are enemies in that they reject the gospel. 

For the sake of the fathers refers to the promises God made to the patriarchs. Irrevocable means “not to repent.” God does not change His mind. He made promises to the patriarchs and He will fulfill them. The NKJV Study Bible

mystery (Gk. mustērion) (11:25; 16:25; 1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:9; 3:3, 4, 9) Strong’s #3466: The word mystery, so often used by Paul, does not mean something incomprehensible, but something that had been kept secret and now has been disclosed. In Paul’s cultural and religious milieu, the term was often used with reference to the mystery religions. Adherents to the mystery religions used the term to speak of the secret knowledge of the religion revealed only to the initiated ones. In contrast, Paul uses the word to speak of a secret that has been openly revealed to all.

Deuteronomy 7:8 but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Isaiah 27:9 

Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be covered;

And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin:

When he makes all the stones of the altar

Like chalkstones that are beaten to dust,

Wooden images and incense altars shall not stand.

Isaiah 59:20 

“The Redeemer will come to Zion,

And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,”Says the LORD.