Meandering Through The Minor Prophets

It's Sunday!! Praise God it's Sunday!!  Today I started reading in Hosea chapter 11 and read Amos, Obadiah, and Jonah. (20 chapters in all)  Here are some thoughts: 1) Joel 1:4, names four types of locust that devoured up the crops of Israel and God's hope was that this would bring them back to repentence but it did not.  It seems that people who disobey do not repent lightly.  Only when they are at their wits end do they look to God and confess and repent.  Let's decide that we will not be among such people as that.  Let us keep a tender heart to the things of God and let the Holy Spirit nudge us gently when we are going astray, and let us respond! 2) Joel 2:13 says: "rend your heart, and not your garments".  God is always looking for the inward change.  Now the inward will affect the outward, but the outward will never affect the inward.  What happens on the inside will affect both inside and outside.  "rend" means to "tear".  The idea is to "tear" open our hearts to see it for what it really is, and then to get right with God. 3) Amos 2:13 "Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves."  One reason we are to "remember them that have the rule over you", is because of the pressure they minister under.  Even when things are going well, there are conflicts in individual member's lives that put pressure upon the man of God.  This is why the Bible says:  "live peacable with all men" and "endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace."  This is why I love Sunday's so much.... it shows me that the church is healthy and triving, but during the week, I'm handling the troubles of a very few lives that create pressure for the ministry.  BUT... God is good!! 4) Obadiah is about God's judgment on Edom.  Edom is the nations that came forth from Esau.  God says Edom is like an eagle that makes it's nest among the stars (vs. 4), but God will bring them down!  vs. 15 says:  "as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee;"  We reap what we sow.... it is all throughout the Bible. 5) Jonah- A story of Rebellion, Reaping, Repentance, and Revival!  In it God "prepares" a great fish, a gourd, a worm, and an east wind.  All to teach his servant Jonah valuable lessons.  The book was written for us to look into the life of one man and learn his lessons without having to be "thrown overboard".  If we don't learn from Jonah, I wonder what God will have to "prepare" to get our attention?? Well, It's Sunday!!  I'm off to church to Preach and Teach!!  Love it!!  Pastor Mike Mutchler

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