We live in a world where bad things happen every day because of the bad choices we make. It is a part of the human experience. We are what we repeatedly do, and unfortunately, when we make too many bad decisions, we get bad results.
The beauty is we can change our circumstances with just one good choice, and as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The time is always right to do what’s right.”
Joel was a prophet who lived during a tough time in Israel’s history. Drought, a locust plague, and spiritual decay have destroyed the land, and Joel offers a message of both hope and restoration.
Call to Repentance
Joel tells the people to turn away from making bad, sinful choices and return to God. Repentance is turning away from what is wrong and turning toward what is right. It is recognizing our need for God’s forgiveness and a desire to live according to His will.
God’s Mercy and Grace
No matter how bad it gets, we can always trust that God has the power to turn it around. Joel emphasizes God’s mercy and compassion. He is slow to anger and full of love. His hope and desire to restore, not punish.
The Promise of Restoration
Joel promises if people repent, God will restore their land and their lives. This restoration includes spiritual, physical, and emotional healing. All we have to do to recognize, own, and confess our failures and sins, thank God for His grace and mercy, trust His goodness and promises, ask for guidance, support, and discernment, then listen and obey.
NBA champion Kenny Smith went from not being recruited by any college to getting a scholarship offer from every college in the country in just 6 months. He said he made a choice to start doing the ordinary things extra. He changed his life by making the choice to do the right thing.
A theme of Joel’s message encourages us through the hope of restoration. In the middle of our struggles, God offers a path back to Him. Through repentance and trust in His mercy, we can experience the fullness of His love and the joy of a restored life.
Our lives can change based on the choices we make. Choose God. Choose to live a life that is pleasing to God, and you can build the life you want to live and have love, joy, and peace.
SOMETHING(s) TO THINK ABOUT
1 - What is your biggest takeaway from Joel’s story?
2 - What is one bad habit that you have that is keeping you from living the life you want to live?
3 - What is something you can do to limit or eliminate that habit?
4 - What is one habit you can start doing to help you start living the life you want to live?
My Prayer
Our Father. Thank you for the blessings you have given me. Thank you for the trials you have brought me out of, and thank you for the future trials you will deliver me from. Please continue to lead me and guide me through the good times and the bad, and please help me make choices that lead to good fruit, and no droughts. In Jesus's name, I pray. Amen.
For a printable PDF version of this post, click here: Joel: A Message of Restoration and Hope
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