Holiness
and honesty are two qualities which are to characterize the life of the
Christian. The ‘laws’ in Deuteronomy stress the importance of holiness.
Jesus, in His parable of the shrewd manager, emphasizes the importance
of honesty – “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be
trusted with much” (Luke 16:10).
We are not to put on a facade of holiness. We are to be honest in our
seeking holiness. If we despise the way of honesty and holiness, we will
go the way of folly against which we are warned in Proverbs 9:13-18.
There is to be prayer from “every one who lives in the land” (Joel 1:14). It is to be personal prayer - “O Lord, I cry to You for help!” (Joel 1:19). These two belong together - prayer for the nation and personal prayer. This is expressed so well in the words: “O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee. Send a revival. Start the work in me.” We hear the words, “Return to the Lord, your God” (Joel 2:13). They are followed by some wonderful words about the character of God - “He is merciful and compassionate, patient and always ready to forgive and to change His plans about disaster” (Joel 2:13). How do we know that God is like this? We look at what He has done for us - “Be glad and rejoice. The Lord has done great things!” (Joel 2:21). Looking at all that the Lord has done for us, we trust His promise: “Whoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32). This salvation is more than forgiveness for past sins. It’s more than the future glory of being in God’s ev...
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