preference and favor

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
road street sign way

Photo by Gratisography on Pexels.com

Ephesians 1:1-2 (JDV)

Ephesians 1:1 Paul, a missionary1 of Christ Jesus by God’s preference:2 To the faithful devotees3 in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.

Ephesians 1:2 Favor4 to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

preference and favor

Paul emphasizes God’s sovereignty in this salutation. What mattered the most is not what Paul wanted, nor what the Ephesian Christians wanted, but what God preferred – who he chooses to favor.

We live in a generation that encourages us to go for what we want – to not be satisfied with someone else’s plans and purposes for us. We could choose to live our lives like that – living them to suit ourselves. Or, we could choose God’s favor and peace. That kind of life comes from yielding to God’s preference.

Lord, teach us to know and yield to your preference.

1ἀπόστολος

2θέλημα

3ἅγιος

4χάρις

Posted in dependence upon God, sovereignty of God, submission | Tagged | Leave a comment

then you will know

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
opened bible on wooden surfaca

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

Joel 3:17-21 (JDV)

Joel 3:17 Then you will know that I am Yahveh your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy, and illegals1 will never overrun it again.

Joel 3:18 In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the streams of Judah will flow with water, and a spring will issue from Yahveh’s house, watering the Valley of Acacias.

Joel 3:19 Egypt will become desolate, and Edom an open desert, because of the violence done to the people of Judah in whose land they shed innocent blood.

Joel 3:20 But Judah will be lived in forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

Joel 3:21 I will have avenged those who have been murdered, which I have not yet avenged, because Yahveh dwells in Zion.

then you will know

Joel had prophesied that his nation would be overrun by illegals committing violent acts upon its people. But his last words give hope that the Lord will end that reign of oppression and murder. The bloodshed will be avenged, and then the nation will know that he is Yahveh.

Thankfully we do not all experience that kind of violent oppression. But we can all experience the kind of deliverance Joel prophesied. We have to be willing to trust God to deliver us in his timing.

How can we know that God is going to rescue us? We will know when it happens. Until then, we have to believe that God is who he says he is in the Bible, and trust him to rescue us eventually. That is biblical faith.

1זָר

Posted in deliverance, dependence upon God, faith, trust | Tagged | Leave a comment

wrong team

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
group of lacrosse players celebrating with coach during daytime

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Joel 3:12-16 (JDV)

Joel 3:12 Let the nations be roused and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, because there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

Joel 3:13 Swing the sickle because the harvest is ripe. Come and trample the grapes because the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because the wickedness of the nations is substantial.

Joel 3:14 Uproars,1 uproars in the valley of decision! You see, the day of Yahveh is near in the valley of decision.

Joel 3:15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will cease their shining.

Joel 3:16 Yahveh will roar from Zion and make his voice heard from Jerusalem; sky and land will shake. But Yahveh will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the Israelites.

wrong team

I don’t watch a lot of sports, but if I do watch a game, it is usually because someone I know is on the team. If I know no one on either team, I find it hard to root for anyone, because if I did back a team, I would want it to be the winning team.

When the leaders of the nations surrounding Joel’s nation looked for strength and encouragement, they prayed to the sun and moon and stars – they sought out idols representing the sky above them and the land beneath them. Now, Yahveh speaks out through his prophet to these idolatrous nations. He tells them that those light bearers are all going to grow dark, and the sky and land will reverberate when Yahveh roars in anger. They will have no stronghold left. Yahveh himself will be a refuge and stronghold for his people, but the nations who relied on lesser gods will discover that they backed the wrong team.

Lord, our trust is in you.

1המוֹן

Posted in animism, idolatry, judgment | Tagged | Leave a comment

the coming big one

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
flight sky sunset men

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Joel 3:9-11 (JDV)

Joel 3:9 Proclaim this among the nations: Commit to war; rouse the warriors; let all the men of war muster and go up!

Joel 3:10 Form your plows into swords and your pruning knives into spears. Let even the weakling say, “I am a warrior.”

Joel 3:11 Hurry, all you surrounding nations; gather yourselves. Bring down your warriors there, Yahveh.

the coming big one

War is a terrible thing, but it is also inevitable in this case. The nations who will have invaded and decimated Joel’s nation will see their days on the battlefield as well. Those who lived by the sword had better be prepared to die by the sword, and no one will be exempt.

Joel’s words also suggest that great battle at the end of the age. The element of hurry suggests a significant event that rouses all the nations to gather themselves quickly for an assault on the Holy Land. Isaiah, Ezekiel and Zephaniah speak of this battle as well. John calls it “the battle of that great day of God Almighty” and says it will happen at a place called “Armageddon.”1

In Joel’s context, his words were meant as encouragement for a plundered people who anticipate being devastated by foreign nations. He encouraged them to keep in mind that one of these wars will result in the big one, the one that changes everything. God will not allow injustice to reign permanently.

Thank you Lord for the peace you will bring by your coming judgment.

1Isa. 13:3; Ezek. 38:15-16; Zeph. 3:8; Rev. 16:14-16.

Posted in deliverance, dependence upon God, judgment, war | Tagged | 1 Comment

the true score

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
action activity adult athletes

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Joel 3:4-8 (JDV)

Joel 3:4 And also: what are you to me – Tyre, Sidon, and all the territories of Philistia? Are you getting retaliation1 or trying to get even with me? I will quickly bring retaliation on your heads.

Joel 3:5 You see, you took my silver and gold and carried my finest treasures to your temples.

Joel 3:6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks to remove them far from their own territory.

Joel 3:7 Watch, I am about to rouse them up from the place where you sold them; I will bring retaliation on your heads.

Joel 3:8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation, because Yahveh has spoken.

the true score

Every evil empire who has ever invaded another land has claimed some excuse for doing so. No doubt Tyre and Sidon and the Philistines had claimed that they deserved to dominate Joel’s nation in retaliation for being dominated after the Israelite conquest. But the God of all justice will only tolerate such excuses for a time. He will set things right. He will reverse their course.

What injustice have you experienced? God knows the true score. He may have reasons for allowing what you have experienced, but he also has plans for rescuing you out of it. Trust him.

Lord, we know you know the true score. We are choosing to trust you to make things right.

1גְּמוּל

Posted in suffering, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

all lives matter

Posted on August 20, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
group of people taking photo

Photo by Rebecca Zaal on Pexels.com

Joel 3:1-3 (JDV)

Joel 3:1 Watch, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

Joel 3:2 I will gather all the nations and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. I will enter into judgment with them there because of my people, my inheritance Israel. The nations have scattered the Israelites in foreign countries and divided up my land.

Joel 3:3 They cast lots for my people; they bartered a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine to drink.

all lives matter

Joel looks ahead to a bleak future when his nation will be scattered, and young lives will be ripped from their homeland and traded like loose change as if their hopes and dreams did not matter.

The prophet gives his nation a truth to sustain them during these dark generations. That truth is that this long period of injustice will come to an end, and those nations who do this will be held accountable. There will be judgment. They might think that the lives of these boys and girls do not matter. They do. All lives matter to our creator, and he will hold accountable those who exploit and destroy them.

Father of all, show us how to respect the lives that matter to you – all lives.

Posted in children, consideration of others, exploitation, judgment | Tagged | Leave a comment

everyone with skin

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
group of people raising right hand

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

Joel 2:28-32 (JDV)

Joel 2:28 After this I will pour out my Breath on everyone with skin;1 then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.

Joel 2:29 I will even pour out my Breath on the male and female slaves in those days.

Joel 2:30 I will display wonders in the sky and on the land: blood, fire, and columns of smoke.

Joel 2:31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of Yahveh comes.

Joel 2:32 Then everyone who calls on the name of Yahveh will be saved, because there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as Yahveh promised, among the survivors Yahveh calls.

everyone with skin

Joel is describing the great revival movement which began in Jerusalem among a group of Jews in the 1st century of the common era. The event which coincided with the celebration of Jewish Pentecost led to a new inclusiveness. The powerful creative life giving Breath of Almighty God was no longer just to come upon a few faithful men. He was poured out on everyone with skin. The rescue this outpouring signified was to reach the sons and daughters of Judaism (crossing gender barriers), spill over to the male and female slaves (crossing social barriers), and then spill out onto the Gentiles (crossing ethnic barriers). The miracles which accompanied this amazing event would continue to mark this new thing God was doing.

It hasn’t always been easy for us Christians to figure that out. We are still prone to show favoritism to one ethnic group, one age group, or one social status, or one sex. It grieves our God when we do that. He wants to reach everyone with skin, and he has no problem animating and empowering Jews and Gentiles, young and old, professionals and manual laborers, men and women.

Lord, purge us of the traditionalism that wants to dominate people whom you have liberated and empowered.

1בָּשָׂר

Posted in equality, Holy Spirit, ministry, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

theology-experience disconnect

Posted on August 18, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
black and white cable connection electronics

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Joel 2:25-27 (JDV)

Joel 2:25 I will repay you for the years that the winging stage locust ate, the crawling stage locust, the destroying locust, and the recently mature locust– my great army that I sent against you.

Joel 2:26 You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied. You will praise the name of Yahveh your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. My people will never again be put to shame.

Joel 2:27 You will know that I am present in Israel and that I am Yahveh your God, and there is no other. My people will never again be put to shame.

theology-experience disconnect

The nation felt the shame of being victims of circumstances which were far beyond their control. They had been devastated, and felt it highly likely that they would be annihilated. But in the back of their minds they remembered the theology they had gleaned from their sacred scriptures. What they were experiencing felt disconnected from their theology of God. They were taught that God was sovereign over the affairs of humanity, and that he could prevent such tragedy.

The prophet came along to remind them that their theology was right. God is sovereign over all his creation. If they experienced tragedy, it was because God sent it. But his ultimate plan for them is not destruction, but revival and restitution. What he took away, he can restore.

Loving Father, we have felt your hand. We acknowledge your right to do what you have done, and our need for discipline. We confess our pride and selfishness. We plead for restoration.

Posted in confession, dependence upon God, discipleship, plan of God | Leave a comment

recovery is going to happen

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
red yellow apples on wooden basket

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Joel 2:21-24 (JDV)

Joel 2:21 Don’t fear, ground; shriek ecstatically and be glad, because Yahveh has done astonishing things.

Joel 2:22 Don’t fear, wild animals, because the open country pastures have turned green, the trees bear their fruit, and the fig tree and grapevine produce their riches.

Joel 2:23 Children of Zion, shriek ecstatically and be glad in Yahveh your God, because he gives you the autumn rain for your vindication. He sends showers for you, both autumn and spring rain as before.

Joel 2:24 The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with new wine and fresh oil.

recovery is going to happen

The prophet wants to assure the nation that God has not totally abandoned them. After a disaster, we are all tempted to despair, and think that things can never be put back in order again. But God has designed his world to come back to life after the worst hits it. The rains will come, and the decimated crops will return.

The prophet instructs his people to put their faith in God, who has built recovery into the order of his creation. It is possible, because that is what our God does.

You there – are you thinking that your life has been reduced to its lowest common denominator? Are you tempted to give in to self-contempt and sadness? Don’t. The grass will turn green again. The trees will produce fruit again. You will be blessed and a blessing again. Just trust God until it starts to happen. And the occasional ecstatic shriek can be a signal of that trust.

Thank you Lord for the recovery that is going to happen!

Posted in confidence, creation, dissapointment, joy, renewal | Leave a comment

the fate of the invader

Posted on August 16, 2019 by Jefferson Vann
mosaic alien on wall

Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Pexels.com

Joel 2:20 (JDV)

Joel 2:20 I will drive the northern invader far from you and banish him to a dry and open land, his front ranks into the Dead Sea, and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea. His stink will rise; yes, his rotten smell will rise, because he has done “great” things.

the fate of the invader

Before the invaders come, our God has already promised to remove them. The prophet had the unwanted job of telling his nation that they would experience humiliating defeat at the hands of invaders who think they are doing great things. Joel explains that this horrible fate will come upon his people not because of the true greatness of their enemies, but because it is God’s plan. Once God is through with these Gentile invaders they will be forced out of the beautiful land. They will be driven to the dry and open land, and there they will rot, their stink rising to the sky.

If you are facing a tragedy in your life today, or a situation that humiliates you and makes you feel small in comparison to others, remember what the prophet promises here. What you are experiencing is somehow part of God’s plan, but he has not forgotten you. As soon as he is finished with this invading army, he knows how to dispose of them. He has no place in his eternity for them.

Lord, give us strong hearts to trust you as the invading armies circle – to know that our humiliation is not permanent.

Posted in dissapointment, future, plan of God | Tagged | Leave a comment