Don't Mess With My Kids!

God is a very protective parent and when someone messes with His kids, in this case the Israelites, He doesn't ignore it. In the shortest book of the Old Testament (21 verses), Obadiah warns the nation of Edom of its upcoming destruction because of the way they have treated Israel.

As descendants of Esau, the Edomites are blood relatives of Israel, and of all people should have been the ones to rush to the aid of Israel's problems. Instead they participated in the attacks, looted their land and captured fugitives for the enemy! They will soon learn that an enemy of Israel is an enemy of God. Because of Edom's indifference, defiance of God, their cowardice and pride toward their blood brothers in Israel, Obadiah gives them God's message of upcoming disaster!

I found an article from Bible.org that I'd like to share with you. It looks at some personal application we can make from this short, but powerful book of Obadiah.

1) Pride deceives and leads to more sin. How true! When we think we're "getting away" with sin, we are deceived and challenged to do more dangerous things.

2) Sin follows a downward path. Our sins progress starting with complacency, then promotion, then finally participation. You've heard of the slippery slope?

3) God will keep His word. God is faithful! Obadiah said Edom's judgment would be complete and in fact it was! The entire nation of Edom, and its people, were destroyed forever.

4) God will punish sin. God sees who is mistreating His children and will judge them accordingly. It shows us that God is in control and will punish sin in His own way and in His perfect timing. This is important for us to know and believe when we face tough times.

5) God will protect His own. God is good and love us. He will care and protect us from our enemies.

These last two ideas that God is in control and that God is good are extremely important to living the Christian life. There principles are often repeated throughout the entire Bible. Unfortunately for us, we want to be in control! We want God's blessing, but we want to call the shots as well. We sometimes struggle with believing God can and will take care of us, so we take matters into our own hands and we find ourselves living points 1 & 2 - deceived by pride and following sin down a destructive path!

God is good all the time - all the time, God is good! So when we face difficulties, it doesn't mean God is not there or that He doesn't love us. The difficulties are for our own character and spiritual development. We can get through the tough times if we believe in God's goodness and faithfulness.

Prophecy, as in Obadiah, is not just gee whiz information for our heads so we can know what God did and will do in the going to preserve His people!

* Bible.org/ Hampton Keathley IV

BLOG COMMENT: Have you ever tried to take control out of God's hands and into your own? What were the results?

You Cows of Bashan...

Being referred to a cow is never a good thing! In this case, the wealthy women of Israel were compared to the sleek, pampered and well-fed cows of Bashan! (Bashan was known for its lush pastures and fine cattle. Amos 4:1) Certainly, that description wouldn't apply to any of us today or would it?

Amos, a lowly shepherd and cultivator of sycamore trees from Judah, was called by God to go to Israel and warn the Israelites of His coming judgment. God wanted Amos to remind His people of three things that He was not pleased with - their idol worship, their complacency and their oppression of the poor, to the point of selling them into slavery. If they kept this up and did not repent and turn back to God, Israel would be conquered and the rich would themselves become slaves. But because of the peace and prosperity of Israel during this time, Amos' message fell on deaf ears.

So back to the cows....could we, as American women, be described this way by God? Is He tired of our "idol worship", smugness and ignoring the needs of people around us? Are we guilty of sitting back and basking in our own sleek, pampered and well-fed glory? Just a little to think about today!

Although we may not worship false gods as in Amos' day, we do have our idols. Anything that takes our eyes off God and/or takes center stage in our life is an idol. The time and energy we spend devoted to temporary pleasure and distraction (watching tv, on the computer, working endless hours, on the phone/texting, playing video games, shopping for more stuff we don't need, etc) are simply ways of putting things and activities ahead of our relationship with God, and like with the Israelites, the day will come when He will not be ignored and replaced by "idols" any longer.

It's easy to fall into the mode of complacency or smugness. The "cows of Bashan" were proud women who looked down on those less privileged. God is not pleased with this attitude and we know how He feels about pride (He hates it by the way!) Our pride and focus on our own pleasure can itself become an idol that separates us from God. Do you tend to look down on others who don't know as much as you do about God, the Bible, the Christian faith? Do you (in your private thoughts) scoff at people who don't dress, act or fit the description you think a godly woman should? God was tired of these "holier than thou cows" (couldn't resist) and would soon put them in a position of humility. Do you really want God to do that with you? It's better to change ourselves, with God's help, then to have Him change us!

Finally, are we guilty of ignoring the needs of those around us as these women were? There are hurting people in our midst, yet sometimes are eyes are so used to looking at ourselves, that we can't see anything or anyone else. God may call us to help the poor in other nations and that's great. But He also may want us to reach out to those in our own town, neighborhood or family. We cannot let the obsession with our idol worship and our self-righteous smugness blind us from the needs right in front of us. What small thing can you do today to reach out to someone in need? A card, a meal, a phone call, a visit, helping pay a bill, a ride, an encouraging word, a prayer, a hug, etc.

We must not be women who consider ourselves too proud, prosperous and pampered or we may find ourselves in the same place as the cows of Bashan! Amos was a fiery spokesman for God, not because of his education or birth, but because he was obedient when the call of God came. You too can be God's spokesperson. Listen for what He wants you to say and do what He asks! Then watch as the power of God works through you as you serve Him!

Here's a great blog by Shona Neff on the same subject!

BLOG COMMENT: What words of warning would you give our society's "cows of Bashan" ?

What Have the Locust Eaten?

What has been eaten by the deadly locusts in your life? Have they devoured precious time that you'll never get back? According to the book of Joel, the kingdom of Judah had just experienced vast destruction by a swarm of desert locust. They had destroyed the crops, vineyards and livestock. The people had been impacted with famine and starvation and their spiritual lives suffered as there was nothing left to bring to the temple for sin offerings.

Note: A desert locust swarm can be 460 square miles in size and pack between 40-80 million locusts into less that half a square mile! Each locust can eat its weight in plants each day, so a swarm of such size would eat 423 million pounds of plants every day!

After Joel's admonishment for the people to return to God "for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love" (2:13b), God assures the people of Judah that He will "restore to you the years that the locust have eaten" (2:25a). He was telling them that He would restore their land to what is was before the locust plague. They would be prosperous again - if only they would turn from their sinful ways and return to Him. One can only wonder if God allowed the locust attack to get their attention; to bring them to a place of complete nothingness in order to see what God was waiting and willing to do for them.

What have the locust eaten in your life? What feels dead and without hope? Is it a relationship that's been attacked by the locust of anger, revenge and unforgiveness? Are you ready for God to restore it? He will, but you have to give it over to Him first; let go and let God handle it.

What about a dream you once had for your life? Have the locust of busyness and distractions of life caused you to give up on it? Have they eaten away at your motivation and the once felt strong determination? If it's a dream from God, He's ready to restore it; to give it new life again.

What about your joy and fruitfulness for God? Have the locust of unconfessed sin, attitudes needing adjustment and worldly temptations eaten away at your walk with God? The people in Joel's day suffered when their "joy and gladness withered away." Has that happened to you?

What about the years you've wasted; years you wish you could go back and live differently? Although we can't change the events and choices of years we've already lived, we can't let the locust of guilt and shame kill our hope for the future.

Remember, God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23) and He is a gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love God - ready to restore what has been eaten by the locust - and return to us the blessings we don't deserve, but blessings He desires for us! Spend time with Him today - asking for and accepting His restoration.

BLOG COMMENT: Do you have an example of God's restoration in your life? Are there still areas where the locust have destroyed and you need God to bring them back to life?

You Want Me to Do WHAT?

Have you ever been asked to do something that made no sense at all? Has God ever told you something He wants you to do, but you can't believe He would ask such a thing of you? No doubt Hosea questioned God's commands when it came to his wife and his marriage.

If you're not familiar with Hosea's story, it begins with God telling him to "Go, take yourself an adulterous wife..." (Hosea 1:2) Now, that's not the best marital advice to be giving young people today, but as usual, God had a purpose and a plan. There's several thoughts on why God asked Hosea to seek out a woman who he knew would be unfaithful to him. First, it would help Hosea understand God's anguish. God's "bride", the Israelites, had become unfaithful and adulterous toward Him and it was breaking His heart. Secondly, Hosea's marriage would provide a real-life example of God's marriage to Israel. Hosea was a prophet and his job was to communicate God's unconditional love to the Israelites. With God's power, Hosea was able to show that same kind of love to his unfaithful wife, Gomer, and people took notice.

Has God ever asked you to do something that was painful or uncomfortable? Do you ever think it could be for the purpose of being a real-life example for people to see Him at work in your own life? People are drawn to people who know where they are coming from. We tend to trust people's advice when we know they have experienced the same thing we are struggling with. Next time you question something God is asking you to do, stop and think about the people your discomfort may encourage.

Not only did Hosea show God's unconditional love, he was also asked to show God's unfathomable forgiveness. In Hosea 3: 1, God gives Hosea another command - "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods...."

As Believers, we have experienced God's unfathomable forgiveness in our own lives! But are we just as willing to show it to others? Luke 12: 48 reminds us that "From everyone who has been given much (forgiveness, etc.) much will be demanded/required..." Although hurting and with an aching heart, Hosea had to chose to reclaim his wayward wife, just as we must chose to reclaim broken relationships in our own life. Grab a hold of God's power and like Hosea, make the choice to do the unthinkable - forgive those who have hurt and betrayed you. Don't let bitterness take the place of unconditional love. Don't let anger and the thoughts of revenge, over-rule God's desire for us to live at peace with one another. It's not worth the energy it takes to hate!

Like Hosea, God wants us to show others unconditional love and unfathomable forgiveness. He may be asking you to do some pretty strange things in order for these to be shown, but consider it a vote of confidence from Him! As with Hosea, He will give you the power and ability to do the unthinkable. Are you up for the challenge?

BLOG COMMENT: Can you relate to Hosea in any way? Has God ever asked you to do something completely opposite of what you had in mind? Share with us what you learned and how your obedience impacted others.....