relationships (Micah 5:1-15) Renewing With Purpose

(Micah 5:1-15)

1   “Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;
     They have laid siege against us;
     With a rod they will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.
2   But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
     Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
     From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
     His times of coming forth are from long ago,
     From the days of eternity.”
3   Therefore He will give them up until the time 
     When she who is in labor has given birth.
     Then the remainder of His kinsmen 
     Will return to the sons of Israel.
4   And He will arise and shepherd His flock 
     In the strength of the Lord,
     In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.
     And they will remain,
     Because at that time He will be great 
     To the ends of the earth.
5   This One will be our peace.
     When the Assyrian invades our land,
     When he tramples on our citadels,
     Then we will raise against him 
     Seven shepherds and eight leaders of people.
6   They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
     The land of Nimrod at its entrances;
     And He will rescue us from the Assyrian 
     When he invades our land,
     And when he tramples our territory.

7   Then the remnant of Jacob 
     Will be among many peoples 
     Like dew from the Lord,
     Like showers on vegetation 
     That do not wait for man,
     Or delay for mankind.
8   The remnant of Jacob 
     Will be among the nations,
     Among many peoples 
     Like a lion among the animals of the forest,
     Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
     Which, if he passes through,
     Tramples and tears,
     And there is no one who can rescue.
9   Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,
     And all your enemies will be eliminated.

10 “And it will be on that day,” declares the Lord,
     “That I will eliminate your horses from among you,
     And destroy your chariots.
11 I will also eliminate the cities of your land,
     And tear down all your fortifications.
12 I will eliminate sorceries from your hand,
     And you will have no fortune-tellers.
13 I will eliminate your carved images 
     And your memorial stones from among you,
     So that you will no longer bow down 
     To the work of your hands.
14 I will uproot your Asherim from among you,
     And destroy your cities.
15 And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath 
     On the nations which have not obeyed.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Here is a prophecy of God coming in the flesh, through the line of David.  The Israelites rejected Jesus as their Lord, Savior and King the first time He came, but in the Tribulation, they will see the signs of His second coming and as a nation, believe in Him.  All those becoming believers during the Tribulation, will enter the Millennial kingdom, when Jesus will sit as King and bring in perfect justice and peace.  

It makes total sense that Jesus would get rid of all idols and images of gods, and all evil.  But one might wonder, why destroy the cities and buildings that people have labored to construct?  Well... if any of those things remained, people would look at that with pride and once again rely on themselves, instead of looking to the strength and guidance of the Lord.  Jesus will rebuild and refurbish the earth as it should be.

We can look at our personal relationship with Jesus in the same way.  When we repent and become believers, Jesus forgives all our sins:  past, present and future!  It is a fresh new start!  And so, even though we have eternal security, why go back to sinful behaviors?  Why go back to relying on ourselves?  God has given all of us purpose and wants us to have the best life possible.  So, let us rely on Jesus to build us up and equip us with His spiritual peace, joy, wisdom, strength and confidence, for a life of true fulfillment, as He is, not only the great architect of life, but our perfect, loving and faithful heavenly Father!

relationships (Micah 4:1-13) Present and More Than Able

(Micah 4:1-13) 

And it will come about in the last days 

     That the mountain of the house of the Lord 
     Will be established as the chief of the mountains.
     It will be raised above the hills,
     And the peoples will stream to it.
2   Many nations will come and say,
     “Come and let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord 
     And to the house of the God of Jacob,
     So that He may teach us about His ways,
     And that we may walk in His paths.”
     For from Zion will go forth the law,
     And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3   And He will judge between many peoples 
     And render decisions for mighty, distant nations.
     Then they will beat their swords into plowshares,
     And their spears into pruning hooks;
     Nation will not lift a sword against nation,
     And never again will they train for war.
4   Instead, each of them will sit under his vine 
     And under his fig tree,
     With no one to make them afraid,
     Because the mouth of the Lord of armies has spoken.
5   Though all the peoples walk,
     Each in the name of his god,
     As for us, we will walk 
     In the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

6   “On that day,” declares the Lord,
     “I will assemble those who limp 
     And gather the scattered,
     Those whom I have afflicted.
7   I will make those who limp a remnant,
     And those who have strayed a mighty nation,
     And the Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion 
     From now on and forever.
8   As for you, tower of the flock,
     Hill of the daughter of Zion,
     To you it will come—
     Yes, the former dominion will come,
     The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

9   “Now, why do you cry out loudly?
     Is there no king among you,
     Or has your counselor perished,
     That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?
10 Writhe and scream,
     Daughter of Zion,
     Like a woman in childbirth;
     For now you will go out of the city,
     Live in the field,
     And go to Babylon.
     There you will be rescued,
     There the Lord will redeem you 
     From the hand of your enemies.
11 And now many nations have been assembled against you 
     Who say, ‘Let her be defiled,
     And let our eyes gloat over Zion!’
12 But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord,
     And they do not understand His plan;
     For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion,
     For I will make your horn iron,
     And I will make your hoofs bronze,
     So that you may pulverize many peoples,
     And dedicate to the Lord their unjust profit,
     And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God is sovereign and has a plan.  The Israelites went into exile back then because of their disobedience, and they will again be under "Babylon" during the Tribulation.  But during those seven years, the Israelites will see the signs of Jesus' second coming, and then they as a nation will believe that He was and is their Messiah and rightful King.  Jesus will return to earth at the end of the Jewish Age, to have victory at the battle of Armageddon, and then take all believers into the Millennial kingdom to fulfill all of their covenants.  

Verses 9-13 briefly discuss the Tribulation, while verses 1-8 describe the Millennial kingdom that follows it.  For now, as a nation, without believing in the Lord, the Israelites will be without a king.  And as sinful people, we tend to forget about God, because we are too busy relying on ourselves, on our heroes, or our manmade devices.  And only when we think there isn't any solution, or hope, or "king" around to help, we cry out in despair . 

All one needs to do is open their eyes, ears and hearts to see that the Lord Jesus is everywhere-present, and right here, wanting to be our personal Savior, Lord and King.  Not only is He able to save, restore, heal, comfort and help, but He wants to.  As verse 5 says, those who believe in the Lord have eternal security.  

As we make the Lord Jesus our sovereign Lord and King, we can be confident in His certain hope, and in His righteous solutions for every single circumstance there could ever be.  In this personal relationship of unconditional love, grace and peace, we will desire to walk closely with Him in His will, relying on Him in all our needs and decisions, to guide us in all things, because He is faithful, and His way works!

relationships (Micah 3:1-12) Peace vs Lawlessness

(Micah 3:1-12) 

And I said,

     “Hear now, you leaders of Jacob 
     And rulers of the house of Israel:
     Is it not for you to know justice?
2   You who hate good and love evil,
     Who tear off their skin from them 
     And their flesh from their bones,
3   Who eat the flesh of my people,
     Strip off their skin from them,
     Smash their bones,
     And chop them up as for the pot,
     And as meat in a cauldron!”
4   Then they will cry out to the Lord,
     But He will not answer them.
     Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time 
     Because they have practiced evil deeds.

5   This is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray:

     When they have something to bite with their teeth,
     They cry out, “Peace!”
     But against him who puts nothing in their mouths 
     They declare holy war.
6   Therefore it will be night for you—without vision,
     And darkness for you—without divination.
     The sun will go down on the prophets,
     And the day will become dark over them.
7   The seers will be put to shame,
     And the diviners will be ashamed.
     Indeed, they will all cover their lips 
     Because there is no answer from God.
8   On the other hand, I am filled with power—
     With the Spirit of the Lord—
     And with justice and courage 
     To make known to Jacob his rebellious act,
     And to Israel his sin.
9   Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob 
     And rulers of the house of Israel,
     Who despise justice 
     And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who build Zion with bloodshed,
     And Jerusalem with malice.
11 Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe,
     Her priests teach for pay,
     And her prophets divine for money.
     Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
     “Is the Lord not in our midst?
     Catastrophe will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore on account of you,
     Zion will be plowed like a field,
     Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
     And the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Just because someone declares something holy, like fighting "a holy war", doesn't make it so, and doesn't justify the actions.  And just because one asks God for help or peace doesn't mean He'll listen.  How does it make sense that while a person is working against the Lord and His will, that He would help in any way?  Basically, that person is asking God to work against Himself and His plans.

God is in omnipresent and omnipotent;  He is also omniscient!  Which means, He knows the future and He knows what is in our hearts.  When He sees us sincerely seeking Him for His help and peace, He will answer.  And it begins with us humbly realizing and admitting that we are sinners in need of forgiveness.  We are all in need of a Savior and His help, and only He is able.  Sin impedes our prayers, but God will "hear" and answer when we confess and are reconciled with Him and make requests that are in His will.

While we cannot lose our salvation, we will struggle at times to remain steadfast.  Therefore, it helps to continuously nurture our relationship with the Lord, in prayer and in His word, and in being involved in church.  As well, the Lord doesn't just want us to be obedient in our own strength, He wants us to rely on Him and His strength!  The Lord Jesus desires to do everything WITH us, and FOR us!!!  But He will never force us to do anything.  It is always our choice, each step of the way.

Verses 8 and 9 describe it beautifully!  Even when rulers use rhetoric that twists their intentions, because they love power and actually despise justice and law and order, and even when they encourage or explain away persecution against Christians, Jews and those who don't agree with their hedonistic idealisms - as believers, we have within us the Holy Spirit of promise!!!  Let us be encouraged that we have direct access to the Lord's power, so that He can guide us to live and to act with justice and courage.

relationships (Micah 2:1-13) Unity vs Disorder

(Micah 2:1-13) 

Woe to those who devise wrongdoing,

     Who practice evil on their beds!
     When morning comes, they do it,
     Because it is in the power of their hands.
2   They covet fields, so they seize them;
     And houses, so they take them.
     They exploit a man and his house,
     A person and his inheritance.

3   Therefore this is what the Lord says:

     “Behold, I am planning against this family a catastrophe
     From which you cannot remove your necks;
     And you will not walk haughtily,
     For it will be an evil time.
4   On that day they will take up against you a song of mocking 
     And utter a song of mourning and say,
     ‘We are completely destroyed!
     He exchanges the share of my people;
     How He removes it from me!
     To the apostate He apportions our fields.’
5   Therefore you will have no one applying a measuring line 
     For you by lot in the assembly of the Lord.

6   ‘Do not prophesy,’ so they prophesy.
     But if they do not prophesy about these things,
     Insults will not be turned back.
7   Is it being said, house of Jacob:
     ‘Is the Spirit of the Lord impatient?
     Are these His works?’
     Do My words not do good 
     For the one walking rightly?
8   Recently My people have arisen as an enemy—
     You strip the robe off the garment 
     From unsuspecting passers-by,
     From those returned from war.
9   You evict the women of My people,
     Each one from her pleasant house.
     From her children you take My splendor forever.
10 Arise and go,
     For this is no place of rest 
     Because of the uncleanness that brings on destruction,
     A painful destruction.
11 If someone walking after wind and falsehood 
     Had lied and said,
     ‘I will prophesy to you about wine and liquor,’
     He would become a prophet to this people.

12 “I will certainly assemble all of you, Jacob,
     I will certainly gather the remnant of Israel.
     I will put them together like sheep in the fold;
     Like a flock in the midst of its pasture 
     They will be noisy with people.
13 The one who breaks through goes up before them;
     They break through, pass through the gate, and go out by it.
     So their king passes on before them,
     And the Lord at their head.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

It is sin that brings disorder, deception, destruction, disaster and death.  People will rather hear lies which appeal to their gratification, than listen with gratitude to God's words and be obedient to His truth and instructions which benefit our lives.  Those who recognize and choose the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, Lord and King are the ones who pass through the gate.  

Having a personal relationship with Jesus is the only way to spiritual freedom, righteousness and eternal life.  Having a close, personal relationship with Jesus helps us know how to have better relationships with others.  And when we all grow closer to the Lord in a personal relationship, we will grow closer to one another, and experience His love, grace, unity, contentment, hope and joy!

relationships (Micah 1:1-16) Freedom and Hope vs Guilt and Despair

(Micah 1:1-16) 

The word of the Lord which came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and which he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem.

2   Hear, you peoples, all of you;
     Listen carefully, earth and all it contains,
     And may the Lord God be a witness against you,
     The Lord from His holy temple.
3   For behold, the Lord is coming forth from His place.
     He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
4   The mountains will melt under Him 
     And the valleys will be split,
     Like wax before the fire,
     Like water poured down a steep place.
5   All this is due to the wrongdoing of Jacob 
     And the sins of the house of Israel.
     What is the wrongdoing of Jacob?
     Is it not Samaria?
     What is the high place of Judah?
     Is it not Jerusalem?
6   For I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the open country,
     Planting places for a vineyard.
     I will hurl her stones down into the valley,
     And lay bare her foundations.
7   All of her idols will be crushed,
     All of her earnings will be burned with fire,
     And all of her images I will make desolate;
     For she collected them from a prostitute’s earnings,
     And to the earnings of a prostitute they will return.

8   Because of this I must mourn and wail,
     I must go barefoot and naked;
     I must do mourning like the jackals,
     And a mourning like the ostriches.
9   For her wound is incurable,
     For it has come to Judah;
     It has reached the gate of my people,
     Even to Jerusalem.
10 Do not tell it in Gath,
     Do not weep at all.
     At Beth-le-aphrah roll yourself in the dust in mourning.
11 Go on your way, inhabitant of Shaphir, in shameful nakedness.
     The inhabitant of Zaanan does not escape.
     The mourning of Beth-ezel: “He will take from you its support.”
12 For the inhabitant of Maroth 
     Waits for something good,
     Because a disaster has come down from the Lord 
     To the gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the chariot to the team of horses,
     You inhabitant of Lachish—
     She was the beginning of sin 
     To the daughter of Zion—
     Because in you were found 
     The rebellious acts of Israel.
14 Therefore you will give parting gifts 
     In behalf of Moresheth-gath;
     The houses of Achzib will become a deception 
     To the kings of Israel.
15 Moreover, I will bring on you 
     The one who takes possession,
     You inhabitant of Mareshah.
     The glory of Israel will enter Adullam.
16 Shave yourself bald, yes, cut off your hair,
     Because of the children of your delight;
     Extend your baldness like the eagle,
     For they will go from you into exile.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Shaving one's head in order to mourn is just one way the world will react when things go terribly wrong.  Over-the-top mourning and wailing really is all about the person, like they are saying, "Look at me!  Look how sad and distressed I am."  But these cries are futile, and often used to manipulate.  Some people will show huge "remorse" - but only for getting caught.  And some people will mourn incessantly - but largely out of selfishness, because of a personal loss, and whatever advantages they themselves will no longer have.  While others who might feel guilty for what they've done, only want to continue doing things their own way.  So, God tells these people to just go ahead and wail.  The "emotional release" is all they have, since they refuse to look to the Lord for His salvation, help and certain hope.

For believers, there is a healthy amount of remorse which should be there when we sin, but this should be followed by confessing our sins and embracing God's grace, freedom, truth and joy, to move forward in our relationship with the Lord!  As well, there is a healthy amount of mourning when there is loss, but this should be followed by looking to the Lord for our comfort, fulfillment, help, peace and hope!  Then, we should be moving forward in life, in His love, strength and wisdom, not focused on ourselves, but on serving the Lord and others!

Now, just because we struggle through something, doesn't mean that we have sinned.  But it is always beneficial to do a heart-check.  Is there something we need to confess?  Remember, sin impedes prayer!  But also remember that the Lord desires to have a close relationship with us!  So, the Lord is faithful to deliver us from anything that hinders our relationship with Him, and bring us to a better place.

Jesus accomplished His work on the cross so that we would not have to wallow in guilt, sadness, self-pity, despair or remorse.  He forgives our sins so that we can experience freedom and security in His grace, which leads to His peace, joy and contentment.  But in His great love, God will never force anyone to love Him back, or live in obedience.  It is always our choice and choices to make!

relationships (Jonah 4:1-11) Love and Forgiveness vs Hatred and Prejudices

(Jonah 4:1-11) 

But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry. 2 Then he prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was this not what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore in anticipation of this I fled to Tarshish, since I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in mercy, and One who relents of disaster. 3 So now, Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” 4 But the Lord said, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?”

5 Then Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade, until he could see what would happen in the city. 6 So the Lord God designated a plant, and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head, to relieve him of his discomfort. And Jonah was overjoyed about the plant. 7 But God designated a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it withered. 8 And when the sun came up God designated a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint, and he begged with all his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life!”

9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to the point of death!” 10 Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant, for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. 11 Should I not also have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 people, who do not know the difference between their right hand and their left, as well as many animals?”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

I do have to laugh a little here.  I mean, Jonah was angry for very selfish reasons.  And to have his pity-party, he chose to go out and sit and wait and watch the city!  God never told him to do that.  The guy had run away from God, so God helped him "get a little further" in a fish, and now he sought out a spot in order to be miserable, so God helped him along with that as well, with a little heat and wind, and an experiential-illustration-lesson!  

Not only was Jonah holding a grudge against God, but he really had a vengeful hatred in his heart, wanting to see the people of Nineveh completely destroyed.  Perhaps there was also some prejudicial hatred!  And we can see here how hatred and an unforgiving heart develops into bitterness.  What a miserable state to live in!

Even though we all are born with a sin nature, separated from God, because God is holy and cannot have a relationship with sin, God still loves all people!  He created all of us with a purpose, and has a desire that we all come to know Him personally.  This is exactly why He came in flesh to die on the cross, in our place!  So when anyone humbly goes to Him with remorse, for salvation, He forgives all sins and saves us from eternal death, and adopts us as His own children, for all eternity!

We should desire to be exactly like our heavenly Father.  So, because He loves all people, He wants us to love all people!  If our hearts are right with God and aligned with His will... we will not hold grudges!  We will graciously forgive all those who hurt us, because God has forgiven us of all OUR sins!  We will not be vengeful or prejudiced!  We will not have any sort of hatred towards any people!  In fact, we will be praying for our own worst enemies to find salvation!  And then, when and if they become Christians, we will be rejoicing, along with the Lord and all the angels! 

Let's not get all high and mighty with pride!!!  We are no better than anyone else!  Let us pray for all our brothers and sisters in Christ that they grow in the Lord and remain steadfast.  And instead of criticizing each other or waiting for someone to stumble, let us help and encourage one another!  The more aligned we are to Jesus and His word, the more we will be aligned with each other, free of bitterness and hateful, vengeful hearts!

And while all of this is sometimes very difficult to do, we can ask the Lord to forgive others FOR us, and we can ask the Lord to love others FOR us.  He not only can help us in loving and forgiving, but He wants to do all things FOR us.  With God, all things are possible!  So when we ask and allow, God changes our hearts from the inside out, and He will work for us, in us and through us, all in His love, strength and wisdom, all to His glory!

relationships (Jonah 3:1-10) Sincere Heart's Desire

(Jonah 3:1-10) 

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” 3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Forty more days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, removed his robe from himself, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the dust. 7 And he issued a proclamation, and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: No person, animal, herd, or flock is to taste anything. They are not to eat, or drink water. 8 But every person and animal must be covered with sackcloth; and people are to call on God vehemently, and they are to turn, each one from his evil way, and from the violence which is in their hands. 9 Who knows, God may turn and relent, and turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil way, then God relented of the disaster which He had declared He would bring on them. So He did not do it.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Just as Jonah, who knew God and knew better, had finally turned (back) to the Lord in prayer to be saved from the fish at the brink of death, the people of Nineveh repented and turned to the Lord to be saved.  Just as Jonah could have died in the fish but would have gone to heaven because he was a believer, the people of Nineveh who had become believers would have also gone to heaven, even if God had still destroyed the city.  But God physically, as well as spiritually, spared the people, just as He had spared Jonah.

Now it is very interesting that in these times, or maybe it is more about these cultures, who worship gods and go to extremes of showing remorse and trying to win favor, these people automatically approach the Lord with such visual passion.  God doesn't expect sackcloth and ashes or sitting in the dirt - it is all about the condition of our hearts.  When someone goes to Him for salvation, or when believers go to Him to confess, God knows when we are sincerely remorseful and humble in our hearts and minds, ready to accept and embrace His peace and joy.

In our relationship and walk with Jesus, His grace is always there, and it is amazing.  We cannot lose our salvation, but let us not take it for granted.  God still hates sin, so our sin causes us to move away from Him.  Therefore, let us make our confessions known to Him, with sincere and contrite hearts that want to stop sinful behavior, but that desire to live in the Lord's will, in His strength, guidance and help.