Joel 1

 Joel writes about a very difficult set of circumstances for the people of his day.  Things are bad, very bad, and God is trying to get their attention.  This first chapter lays out the devestation that is happening in the land.  There is no food, there is no worship, there is no joy.  Joel tells the people to “round up everyone in the country and get them into God’s sanctuary for serious prayer to God”.  Seems that the people have moved very far away from God.  They are focused on themselves and fixing the problems on their own.   It isn’t working very well.  “The whole country is burning up”.  It is hot and dry – there is no water and the crops have failed.  What did not fail the insects have destroyed.  Joel sets the stage for what has to happen – revival.  Pay attention to this message: “Make sure you tell your children, and your children tell their children, and their children their children. Don’t let this message die out”.  Guys – people don’t get the message of God’s love by osmosis.  It is our job as the spiritual leader in our home to “train up a child in the way he should go”.  That is the only way it will happen.  It is not the job of the church, or the school, or the village – it is the job of the men to tell their children about God.  It is our job – we can’t duck and whimp out here – it is a God given responsibility that we need to step up and lead.  The stakes are high.  This book really is about what happens when people forget about God.  This is an example of the legacy of men who failed to do their job.  They did not teach their children generations earlier and now the country is in despair.  Things are not bad – they are a disaster.  Scripture says “this is serious business”.  It really is guys.  We often want to defer to our wives or the church to do the spiritual training.  It doesn’t really fit us well, am I right?  We want to be focused on the serious and important stuff – work, hunting, football…..  There is nothing more important for us than what Joel tells us here.  We cannot let the message of God’s truth and love “die out” – we must tell our children, grand children and great grand children.  Are you doing the heavy lifting of spiritual training in your family?  What legacy will future generations have because of the investment you are making today?