and i will show wonders in the heavens above

    and signs on the earth below,

    blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

the sun shall be turned to darkness

    and the moon to blood,

    before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

[acts 2:19-21]

 

as you spend time today with the Lord, take some time to set your mind and meditate on “the great and magnificent day.” –as a foretaste of that day, God has poured out his Holy Spirit upon us. we, who have called upon the name of the Lord don’t do it by our own power, in fact joel confirms this–see the extension of this idea from above:

and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. for in mount zion and in jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls. [joel 2:32]

 

the escape mentioned here is the escape of God’s righteous judgment upon the ungodly–those who escape are those whom the Lord calls–

and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. [romans 8:28-30]

 

when we cry out the Lord for salvation, and a continued conforming to his image through our sanctification, it is because he has called us first, and in the calling we have the definite purpose of our justification and glorification. the day of the Lord is coming–let us rejoice in the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ!

amen!

 

~ ce