Todays Reading - 📅 June 25
📖 Joel 1–3, 2 Timothy 1

🔑 Scripture Focus:

“Weep like a bride dressed in black, mourning the death of her husband.”
— Joel 1:8 NLT

“Dress yourselves in burlap and weep, you priests! Wail, you who serve before the altar! Come, spend the night in burlap, you ministers of my God. For there is no grain or wine to offer at the Temple of your God.”
— Joel 1:13 NLT

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💔 Despair. Wailing. Weeping.

The opening words of Joel are filled with mourning—grief like a widow, cries of priests with no offering left, a land stripped bare by locusts. The devastation is not just physical; it’s spiritual. God’s people had turned from Him, and He allowed this devastation—not to destroy them, but to wake them up.

The locusts didn’t come by accident. Joel reveals something powerful:

“The Lord is at the head of the column… This is His mighty army…” (Joel 2:11)

This is a holy disruption. A shaking.
Why? Because God wants our hearts—fully.

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⚠️ The Day of the Lord

Joel speaks often about “the Day of the Lord” (Yom YHWH). In Hebrew, this refers to a moment when God breaks in—either in judgment, restoration, or both. It’s not just about future events; it’s any day God steps in to deal with sin and call His people back.

The Hebrew word qarov (קרוב) is used to say “it is near.” It means it’s pressing in—imminent, not distant. For the people in Joel’s day, it was the swarm of locusts. For us? It might be conviction, chaos, loss, or the stirring of the Holy Spirit whispering, “Come back.”

God says:

“Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead. Return to the Lord your God, for He is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.”
— Joel 2:13 NLT

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✝️ How We See Jesus

Joel might not mention Jesus by name, but His fingerprints are all over these pages.
•The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Joel 2:28–29 is directly fulfilled in Acts 2 at Pentecost—after Jesus rose and ascended.
•God’s character in Joel 2:13—“merciful, compassionate, slow to anger”—is revealed fully in Jesus, who weeps over sin, heals the broken, and welcomes the repentant.
•The Day of the Lord points to the return of Christ, when justice will be fully established and His kingdom revealed.

Joel is a book of both warning and hope, and both find their resolution in Jesus.

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🌿 Restoration Always Follows Repentance

Maybe today you’re not facing a locust swarm. No famine. No national collapse. But here’s the truth:
God is always calling us to give Him more of our heart.

Even in the smallest areas of compromise, distraction, or fear—He lovingly invites us to return. The Lord says:

“I will give you back what you lost…” (Joel 2:25)
“Don’t be afraid… be glad now and rejoice…” (Joel 2:21)

He doesn’t just call us to weep—He promises to restore. Supernaturally. Completely.

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🔥 What Am I Waiting For?

Today, I can ask the Lord:
“What part of my life or heart do I still need to surrender?”
•Is there a decision I’ve been avoiding?
•A ministry I’ve neglected?
•A habit I need to lay down?
•A place of fear or control I’m holding back?

He is merciful. He is good. And He is eager—not to punish—but to restore.

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📝 Journal Prompts for Reflection:

Use these to write in your journal, pray over, or reflect on in quiet time:
1.💭 What area of my heart might be “partially surrendered” to the Lord?
2.🌧 Is there a hard season in my life that could be a holy wake-up call?
3.🔥 What would “tearing my heart and not my garment” look like in real life?
4.🪞 How is Jesus personally calling me to return to Him in deeper trust?
5.🌿 Where in my life do I need to ask for restoration or healing?
6.🙌 Do I truly believe the Holy Spirit has been poured out for me? Am I living filled?
7.✝️ What does “the Day of the Lord” mean for me today? Am I ready?

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🙏 Prayer

Father,
Thank You for loving me enough to call me back.
You don’t desire empty rituals or outward displays—You desire my heart.
Show me anything I’ve held back.
Where I’ve grown distracted, disobedient, or discouraged—call me close again.
I believe You restore what the locusts have eaten.
I believe You pour out Your Spirit.
And I believe Jesus is coming again.
Help me live surrendered, filled, and faithful—until that day.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen. 💗


📅 June 25 – Bonus Reflection
📖 2 Timothy 1
🔑 Scripture Focus:

“That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.”
— 2 Timothy 1:12 NLT

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💡 Unashamed. Unshaken.

Paul knew who he was.
He knew who called him.
And nothing—not prison bars, public shame, or personal suffering—could shake his confidence in the One who called him.

In this chapter, you can almost hear his voice—steady, secure, and full of conviction.
He writes not from comfort, but from chains. And yet his spirit is freer than ever.

“I know the One in whom I trust.”
That’s where his strength came from.

Paul had entrusted his calling, his life, and even his suffering to Jesus—and he was certain that God would guard it all.

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🔥 Stir It Up

He writes to Timothy, his spiritual son, and urges him:

“Fan into flame the spiritual gift God gave you…” (v.6)

Paul had prayed for Timothy and now reminds him:
You don’t need to be afraid.
The Holy Spirit has given you power, love, and self-discipline.
Don’t let fear smother what God has placed in you.

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🛡️ Guard the Deposit

Then Paul shifts to a serious charge:

“Guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.” (v.14)

Paul sees the Gospel like a treasure, a sacred trust.
And he tells Timothy—Hold on. Don’t let go. Guard it through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We don’t need to be eloquent or popular or impressive.
We need to be faithful.

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💭 What About Me?

Paul’s words feel deeply personal—like he’s speaking across time to us, too.

God has placed something precious in you, too, sister:
a gift, a calling, a Gospel worth living and dying for.

So don’t shrink back.
Fan it into flame.
Don’t be ashamed to speak boldly.
And trust Him to guard what you’ve entrusted to Him—your calling, your family, your future, your life.

He is able.
He is faithful.
And He will never fail.

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✨ Application / Journal Prompts
1.What calling or gift has God placed in my life that needs to be stirred up again?
2.Am I letting fear hold me back from being bold about Jesus?
3.What truth has been entrusted to me—and how am I guarding it?
4.Where do I need to trust God more fully to guard what I’ve given Him?
5.In what areas of my life do I need to walk more boldly, unashamed and confident in Christ?

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🙏 Prayer

Lord,
Thank You that I don’t have to live afraid or ashamed.
You’ve given me Your Spirit, and with it comes power, love, and self-discipline.
Fan into flame every gift You’ve placed in me.
Help me guard Your truth faithfully and walk in my calling boldly.
I trust You, Lord—you are able to keep what I’ve entrusted to You.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.


📖 Extra Reflection – The Life He Promised
Based on 2 Timothy 1:1

“This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life he has promised through faith in Christ Jesus.”
— 2 Timothy 1:1 NLT

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✝️ The Life Jesus Promised

Paul’s mission was clear: proclaim the life promised through faith in Christ. Not a better lifestyle. Not religious rituals. But true, eternal, resurrection life.

Jesus spoke of this promised life often:
•John 10:10 – “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
•John 11:25–26 – “I am the resurrection and the life… whoever believes in me will never die.”
•John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life…”

This life is eternal, spiritual, and personal—guaranteed through faith, not earned through works.

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🔍 How Jesus Stands Apart from All Other Faiths

Unlike all other religious leaders or systems, Jesus alone:
•Offers eternal life as a gift—not based on your efforts, but His sacrifice.
•Rose from the dead and is alive—over 500 witnesses saw Him after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3–6).
•Gives believers assurance of heaven—not uncertainty or endless striving.

Here’s how this compares with other major beliefs:
•Islam – Teaches salvation by weighing good deeds against bad. Paradise is a reward, not a promise. Muhammad is dead and buried.
•Buddhism – Teaches a cycle of rebirth and pursuit of Nirvana through self-effort. Buddha is also dead.
•Hinduism – Offers eventual escape from reincarnation through karma and devotion. No personal relationship with a living Savior.
•Modern Judaism – Emphasizes obedience to the Law while still awaiting a Messiah. Views on afterlife vary.
•Secular beliefs – Often deny the afterlife or claim morality is enough. No promise of eternal life.
•Christianity – Declares salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He is risen, alive, and returning.

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💬 So What Does This Mean for Me?

Paul could boldly say, “I know the one in whom I trust” (2 Timothy 1:12), because he knew Jesus wasn’t just a teacher or a martyr—He is the Risen Lord.

That means:
•I don’t have to fear death.
•I don’t have to strive to be “good enough.”
•I can trust in the finished work of Christ.

Because He lives, I will live.
And because He promised it, I believe it.

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🙏 Prayer

Jesus,
Thank You for the life You promised me.
Not just someday, but here and now—and forever.
You are the Resurrection and the Life.
You alone give me hope beyond the grave.
Help me live unashamed of this Gospel, bold in this truth,
and confident in the One who is alive forevermore.
Amen. 💛