Joel Review

We need to review what Joel has to say to us today, because as always, if we do not see the relevance of God's written word to us, we are missing the importance of it.  First, we can never rely on the powers of this world to protect us.  No matter how powerful we may be as a nation this is not where our security lies.  As followers of Christ, our security comes from God alone.  Also, we need to acknowledge that God does not need military power to destroy a nation.  He used insects in Joel's day, and He can use anything today to accomplish His purpose.  I read a few years ago about a man who said that he now believed that the world could end because with nuclear weapons man for the first time had the ability to accomplish it.  He missed the point though.  The ability to destroy or sustain the world does not rest with man, but with God.  We need to acknowledge that when those who call themselves God's rebel against Him, He will allow punishment to come upon them.  We must also acknowledge that we can only be God's through a covenant relationship with Him.  For us today, that covenant relationship comes through Christ alone.  If we claim to be God's people through any other means, then we are deceiving ourselves.  We can also be certain that if we are really followers of Christ, God secures us to Him forever.  Just as salvation is not of our own merit, neither does everlasting security come from our own actions.  We have God's promise that nothing can separate us from Him once we are born again into His kingdom.  If we stray from His will, though we may lose the joy of our salvation, we do not lose our salvation.  God waits ready to restore that joy as soon as we repent and return to Him.  This should make us a rejoicing people.  We are God's forever.