From This Day On
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a word from God.
Sounds prophetic and important, right? Like, “Joni has a word from God?” Well, the word is actually from Haggai 2:19 and this is the word – and mind you this is from God – the Lord says in Haggai chapter 2:19, “From this day on I will bless you.” Now, if you look at the context, God is about to pour His blessings out on the remnant of His people who returned to Jerusalem. After all that they had been through; after all the defilement, yep, there are warnings. But as God’s people stand in the ruins of that destroyed temple; with stones and weeds all around, the Lord announces to them, “From this day on I will bless you.”
Well, all well and good for the people during the time of the prophet. But what about now? What day will the Lord bless? Well, Pastor James Smith from the 1800s wrote about that day and those blessings. And listen to what he says. He says:
“What day [will God bless you]? The day you begin to seek the Lord. The day you decide to be on the Lord’s side. The day you publicly and honestly profess Him. The day you heartily engage in His work. The day you return from backsliding, and repent from your sin before Him. The day you identify yourself with [God’s] people in heart and soul. What does the Lord promise? To bless you; He will bless your temporal mercies; He will bless your trials; He will bless your labors … your family … your soul; He will bless you with light [and] liberty, strength, peace, contentment, and success. [So, friend,] be decided for the Lord, and always walk in His ways. Expect His blessings, for He has given you His Word, and [He] confirmed it with a solemn oath. Be diligent in the use of all means [to receive that blessing]. Constantly look to Jesus as the only [channel] through which [those] blessings flow.”
Oh, my, all that from one short verse in Haggai chapter 2. And all these blessings were not only for the people of Haggai’s day who returned to Jerusalem from captivity; these blessings are for us, if we – like God’s people of old – if we would but plead God’s promises to bless us. And it’s what I encourage you to do today. If you would but put that bad habit behind you; if you would but let go of that grudge and reconcile with your friend or a family member; if you would but be honest in your dealings with people; if you would but put behind you whatever sin, great or small, you will enjoy peace like a river and your right way of living will dawn on others like the noon day sun. You’ll be like a tree planted by rivers of water and whatever you put your hands to, it’s gonna prosper. God will bless you and then, you will pass on that blessing to others.
That is such good news! And there is more good news in a special booklet I want to give you today called, “Is God Listening?” written by my friend Dave Deuel. Because we all sometimes wonder how we can best get under the shower of God’s blessings so we can enjoy His goodness. And this booklet, “Is God Listening?” is gonna help you do just that. So, visit us today at joniradio.org and ask for your free copy. And remember, please, remember this wonderful verse from Haggai 2:19. God says, from this day onward I will bless you. Because the day you begin to seek the Lord, that is the day He’s gonna bless. See you later at joniradio.org.
Oh, and one more thing. I want to send you a copy of our Joni and Friends newsletter. So, just go to joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends
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Is God Listening?
When pain and hardship come, you look to the Lord for help and answers. But what do you do when it feels like God is silent? When your circumstances don’t change? In “Is God Listening?,” Dave Deuel encourages you that God is not indifferent to your pain. He always hears your cries for help and for answers. God speaks to you through His Word and reminds you that He walks beside you as a fellow sufferer.
