Tag: Spirit

The Day of the LORD – Past & Future

Joel 1-3

Devotion by Sherry Alcumbrack (South Carolina)

When we have something important to tell someone and we want to make sure they understand, we will repeat it many times. In the small book of Joel, “the day of the Lord” is mentioned five times, so we know that this is its central theme. That lets us know that what he is telling us is important to understand, he wants to make sure we get it.

There are two “Days of the Lord” mentioned. One is a past event, Israel had been ravaged by locusts: gnawing locusts, swarming locusts, creeping locusts, and stripping locusts. This was a judgement against Israel and the sins against God that they committed. In Chapter 1:14 to gain repentance Joel suggests that they: “consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all inhabitants of Israel to the house of the Lord, and cry out to the Lord.” He understood their need for repentance.  Chapter 2: 12-13 says “’Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping, and mourning; and tear your heart and not merely your garments.’ Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in mercy and relenting of catastrophe.” He tells us that we have to do more than tearing our clothes (an outward sign), we need to change our hearts, if we do that, God will forgive us.

It even says that he will make up for the years that the locusts have taken and that his spirit will be poured out on all mankind. That verse is very important to all of us. Chapter 2:28 says “It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, your young men will see visions.” This is no longer just to the Israelites, he is talking to all of us about a future “day of the Lord.” The people of Israel had to go to the temple to receive forgiveness of their sins with an animal sacrifice. God made a new way when he gave us Jesus as our sacrificial lamb, so now we can repent and be baptized and our sins are forgiven. We look forward to the future “day of the Lord”, when Jesus will return to the earth, and will usher in the Kingdom of God. What a glorious Day that will be!

Reflection Questions

  1. Why is repentance – and how we do it – important to God? What gets in the way of our true repentance?
  2. Contrast the mood in the beginning of Joel to the mood at the end. What makes the difference?
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Samson

Judges 13-16

Judges 13-16 contains the story of Samson, who led Israel for twenty years. I was raised knowing of Samson and his story, but little me didn’t know all the “extra” information these chapters contained. In fact, we had a black lab german shepherd mixed dog that we named Samson (which suited him the more he destroyed the things he “played with” and the stronger he became). Since I was younger, I don’t remember my parents ever needing to trim/cut his hair, but now I wonder if they ever did. Regardless of my lack of memory, Samson taught my brother and me a good lesson about being responsible and caring for something that might run away (though it took awhile to actually learn these things because we were both hard-headed or “strong-willed”). And here’s a fun fact: he did run away. To me, it felt like I had been betrayed by the dog I loved, and although in Samson’s case Delilah betrayed him (16:18), God worked through his betrayal. 

Samson, my dog, eventually returned home after our neighbors found him playing with their animals. But, in the time between not knowing what happened to him and reappearing, I learned how it felt to miss the dog I once had. I’m sure Samson missed the God-given strength he once had when he tried to break free from his bondage and had his eyes gouged out. The phrase, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” certainly comes to my mind for both scenarios (and I’m more grateful that I can still see). In Job 1:21 we find a very similar concept, “And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

God filled Samson with His spirit many times in these chapters, and even though it led to the deaths of many people, God used him to lead, judge, and preserve the nation of Israel. Philippians 2:13 states, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.” The Spirit of the LORD in Samson (and in us as Christians) is an extension of YAHWEH’s power and authority. Hill & Walton’s A Survey of the Old Testament states, “the Spirit gave people the ability or authority to do what they normally could not have done.”  And in Matthew 19:26 we read about Jesus telling his disciples that with man some things aren’t possible (in proper context he was discussing being born again), but with God all things are possible (and we, with God, can be an extension of Him and born again too). Our story, like Samson’s, will likely conclude with death (though I pray that ours doesn’t end by bringing down a building over top of us). However, God, through His son Jesus Christ, has made a way for us to be saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves or our works, but through Him and His son to soon be in His presence for eternity. Samson prayed to the LORD and the LORD answered. And we too should pray to the LORD and await His instructions and directions.

-Jeffrey Seiders

REFLECTION Q’s

  1. In times when you felt betrayed, how did you react? How did God eventually work it out for your good? If God hasn’t worked it out yet, reflect on ways God can use your betrayal for your good.
  2. What are some things in your life that make life easier for you? Is there something that you use daily and overlook that you could be grateful to God for?
  3. In what ways are you letting God and His spirit enter your life? Are there places in your life that you don’t let God and His spirit work in your life? How can you work on these areas?
  4. How often do you take time to pray for the LORD’s instruction and direction?
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Instincts

OLD TESTAMENT: Jeremiah 22 & 23

POETRY: Psalm 119:9-16

NEW TESTAMENT: Jude

Human instincts are a funny thing. We have certain tendencies that our bodies will turn to without thinking in order to preserve itself. Some will say it’s hard-wired in after years of evolutionary learning. I say it’s given by God, a level of thought that we can have without even realizing we’re having it. Our nervous system is an incredible miracle, along with the rest of our body, in how it communicates. 

I’m taking martial arts classes currently, and one of the things they teach us in self defense is the ability to yell past our tension. They have us pull air from deep within, really forcing the diaphragm to the point of discomfort, and expel a yell that feels almost animalistic. And we, especially females, practice that in order to help us should we ever have a violent encounter. You see, when we meet a moment of fear and stress, our fight/flight/freeze/fawn response kicks in. We will either spring into action, run, freeze in fear, or try to appease our opponent. 

No matter which decision is made, what often occurs first is a moment of freeze, as you try to process. And breaking out of that freeze is DIFFICULT. I know because it has happened to me. When frozen in terror, it’s a struggle to make any noise at all. We practice yelling before and during attacks, so that muscle memory will hopefully help us if we ever have a confrontation. We prepare so that we can push past our instinctual response of fear and call for help or cry out in attack. 

Preparing so that you can overcome an instinct seems counterintuitive. We must have that instinct for a reason, right? But our natural instincts don’t always serve us best.

Verses 17-21 say, “But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, ‘In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.’ These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”

We have a lot of natural instincts. Children don’t need to be taught to lie, they do it instinctually to avoid trouble. The instinct to act on attraction is a natural one that causes endless trouble. We have instincts to avoid pain, both emotional and physical, which can lead to us not reaching out to others. We have survival instincts that make us want to look out for our own needs or the needs of our closest family members before looking to the needs of others, frequently leading to selfishness and greed. 

Jude is warning us that we can’t let people who follow these natural instincts divide us. Not only that, but we have to build ourselves up in faith. In other words, we must train ourselves out of those instincts. God calls us to a higher level. The world will say to act on how we feel, because those feelings are natural. But there are many things that are “natural” that are actually terrible for us. 

Train yourself out of those instincts by frequently turning to God’s word. We are told to test every idea, every belief, every teaching, and even every instinct to be sure whether or not it is of God. Test it against the scriptures. 1 John 4:1 says, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Do not let the world lead you astray simply because something “feels” right. Test that feeling against scripture every time. This is going to pit you against most of society. Stand firm. Hold fast and keep yourselves in God’s love. 

Reflection: 

What tendencies do the world see as “right” because they are “natural,” when the Bible calls them wrong? How can you keep those views from dividing you? Do you see those sorts of divisions happening in your church? They could be as simple as concerns over money keeping us from helping others as much as we should. They could be as socially complex as issues of homosexuality, or sex before marriage. 

What are some instincts you find in yourself that you find difficult to contend with? How can you “build yourself up” in faith and train yourself out of some of your own dangerous instincts?

Beloved friends, my prayer for you today is the same as the one ending Jude: “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”   – Jenn Haynes

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When He Hides His Face

Old Testament: Micah 3

Poetry: Psalm 83

New Testament: Luke 17:11-37

Who doesn’t love a good game of hide n seek? I have memories of my dad getting in on a game of hide n seek by helping one of us kids get up to the never-accessed attic from the hallway game closet. That round lasted a LONG time. And just last week I watched as cousins enjoyed the thrill of the classic game at my sister’s house. But what about when God hides?

When I think of hiding in the Bible I think first of all of Adam and Even hiding in the garden, and then of Jonah hiding on a ship to Tarshish. When people hide it seems it is often because of fear, embarrassment, and/or shame. But, what about when God hides his face? I think we can rule out fear, embarrassment and shame. And, it is definitely no game. So, what causes God to hide His face?

The verse I am referring to is Micah 3:4 – “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.” (NASB). I looked at 55 other translations/paraphrases (made easy on biblegateway). I will compile some of the other options together: Someday you will beg the Lord to help you in your time of trouble, you will plead with Him, you will pray to Him, but He will not answer, He will not listen, He will not even look at you. Do you really expect Him to answer? But he will turn away from you, He will hide His face from you because of your sins, because of your evil deeds, because they/you have acted so wickedly.

So, what makes God hide His face from them – or from you?

Sin.

A few years ago I did a bit of study on prayer and more specifically unanswered prayers – or prayer requests that don’t receive the answer we were asking for when we asked. I keep the worksheet I created in my Bible because I keep adding to it as I find more and more reasons and instances as I read and re-read the Bible. Some of the reasons for “unanswered” prayers given in God’s Word are: not enough faith, asking with wrong motives, it’s not in God’s will or it’s just not time for it, yet. But, by far I have found the most examples and teachings about prayers not being answered – or even heard – because of unrighteousness.

Micah has many examples of the people’s unrighteousness. In this chapter he is speaking of the leaders of Judah and Israel and how they hate what is good and love what is evil. Perhaps if you think really hard you might be able to think of a time when you celebrated something that grieves God or you put down, ignored or disrespected something He created and called good? Where else have you seen evil celebrated and goodness trampled upon? Micah also spoke of the prophets who were leading Israel astray and their selfishness in looking out for themselves and their needs instead of speaking God’s truth and warnings to a nation in danger of God’s coming wrath. He says, “They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God” (Micah 3:7 NIV). And, suddenly, our ‘game’ of hide and seek now has no seekers at all. Because of sin. What happens when no one is seeking? Game over. Israel would be finding out very soon what happens. For even though they say, “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us” (Micah 3:11 NIV); disaster is indeed coming. They will find, just as Micah foretold, that you can’t live your sinful selfish lives against God’s laws and heart and then when you are in trouble expect God to sweep in to save the day. In fact, He is sometimes sending the disaster, because of their sinfulness. He is hiding His face from them – not because He isn’t powerful enough to stop the disaster. Not because He isn’t loving enough to stop the disaster. Indeed, God has a love for the whole world and hates the spread of sin – so it could be precisely His love to send the disaster/judgment/day of trouble before even more are led astray.

Don’t wait til it is too late. Be a Micah. Stand up against sin. Be filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord. Speak and show justice and might. Don’t follow the lies of unrighteous leaders. Follow His laws. Love Good. Hate Evil. Seek God’s face – always.

-Marcia Railton

Reflection Questions

  1. Are you good at recognizing what God calls good and what He calls evil? Do you hate what He calls evil and love what He calls good? How could you get better at recognizing and treating evil as evil and good as good?
  2. What examples can you give of leaders who hate what is good and love what is evil? How does this affect a whole family/church/nation?
  3. If our sin and unrighteousness keeps God from hearing and answering our prayers – and we know ALL have sinned – how do we continue to seek God and turn from sin so that He does not hide His face from us?
  4. How can you be a Micah amongst the false prophets and sinful, selfish leaders? What do you need on your side (see verse 8)? How do you get it?
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Spirit Grown

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 3 & 4

Poetry: Psalm 70

New Testament: Galatians 5:22

My understanding of the fruits of the Spirit has evolved quite a bit over time. I used to think that I needed to strive to demonstrate that fruit in my life and I would get so frustrated every time I would inevitably fall short. I felt like such a disappointment to God. It was actually an egotistical way to approach the matter. John 15:1-8 gives us insight into how we can bear good fruit in our lives:

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (NIV)

The critical missing component of my approach was that if it’s a fruit of the Spirit, the fruit produced is a result of the Spirit—not our own efforts. So our effort should not be put into displaying those qualities, but rather drawing closer to the source of that Spirit so that those qualities naturally spring forth. “Apart from me you can do nothing” (verse 5). We are to abide in Jesus since he is the vine and we are the branches. Our Heavenly Father is the gardener and He prunes us in order to increase our fruitfulness.

I find the aforementioned passage to be very encouraging. Our human nature is often inclined to do the very opposite of the fruits of the Spirit, so if we try to master them by our own merit, we are destined to fail. However, God’s word clearly just told us that we cannot bear any fruit apart from Christ. The key is to draw closer to him and to let God prune away the bad stuff in us.

I think David is a great role model in today’s passage in Psalm 70. He is not looking inward and trying to pull from his own strength. In verses 1 and 3 we see where he recognizes his true source of strength.

1 Hasten, O God, to save me;

    come quickly, Lord, to help me.

3 But as for me, I am poor and needy;

    come quickly to me, O God.

You are my help and my deliverer;

    Lord, do not delay.

-Kristy Cisneros

Reflection Questions

  1. Contrast the fruit of the Spirit with human nature? What does each look like and sound like?
  2. Does your life display more human nature (living by the flesh) or evidence/fruit of the Spirit? When do you slip into more human nature characteristics? (when you are worried, stressed, hurried, selfish, etc…)
  3. How can you stay attached to Jesus? How can you make sure his words remain in you? How can you draw closer to the source of this good fruit?
  4. What can you learn from David and apply to your life today?
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Walk by the Spirit

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 70

New Testament: Galatians 5:16-21

I can understand why the scriptures describe David as a man after God’s own heart. We read all about how Saul had relentlessly pursued David with the intent of killing him. What we know about human nature would tell us that David would breathe a sigh of relief upon learning that Saul was dead, but that’s not how the story went. The young Amalekite man describes that when he came upon Saul, Saul was leaning on his spear and he carried out Saul’s request to kill him since he was in the “throes of death.” When David learns that the young Amalekite man killed Saul upon Saul’s request, his reaction in 2 Samuel 1 is always a bit surprising to me.

11 Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. 12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

He was clearly distraught for the death of both Saul and Jonathan—so much so that he had the young Amalekite man put to death.

14 David asked him, “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”

15 Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!” So he struck him down, and he died. 16 For David had said to him, “Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

Because David was pursuing God’s heart, he didn’t rejoice in Saul’s death—even though he was an enemy to him. Saul terrorized him for a long time and the Psalms are full of David’s pleas to God to help him in the midst of Saul’s pursuit of him. We read about David’s state of mind during this time in verses 1 and 5 of Psalms chapter 70.

 1 Hasten, O God, to save me;

    come quickly, Lord, to help me.

5 But as for me, I am poor and needy;

    come quickly to me, O God.

You are my help and my deliverer;

    Lord, do not delay. (NIV)

If we pursue God’s heart and walk in His Spirit as referenced in Galatians 5, we are not driven by our desires of the flesh and ruled by our human nature. Instead, we are compelled to pursue what matters to God. 

Galatians 5:16-18

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. (NASB 1995).

Of course, walking by the Spirit is not a “one and done” endeavor. Each day we are faced with the choice if we will be ruled by our flesh or if we will humble ourselves and be led by the Spirit. I think the key to doing so is to cultivate a deep relationship with our Heavenly Father and to abide in Christ. If we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength as we are commanded to do, it is so much easier to find the conviction to let His Spirit lead our lives. Keep in mind all relationships require ongoing work. How are you nourishing your relationship with God and Jesus Christ on a daily basis?

-Kristy Cisneros

Reflection Questions

  1. What does it look like to pursue God’s heart? Can you think of a time when you, or someone you know, acted in such a way (like David’s response to Saul’s death) that was totally against human nature/flesh/sin and perfectly in line with God’s heart and walking by His Spirit?
  2. How are you nourishing your relationship with God and Jesus Christ on a daily basis?
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The Law of the Letter or of Life

Thursday, August 5th, 2021

Job 3-4, 2 Corinthians 3

The Olympics are going on in full steam with the final days approaching this week. Though I’ve never been one to follow gymnastics, swimming, track, or fencing, when the Olympics comes around, I’m glued to the screen watching people strain towards earthly glory in the form of a gold, silver, or bronze medal. Today, I was watching the morning news, and Caleb Dressel was doing an interview. When asked about how he took care of his mental health, he said that the first thing he did when he got back home from a big event was to not think about swimming for at least two weeks. When he got home, he wasn’t a medal winning athlete; he was just himself. He said if he didn’t do this, the pressure would be too much. He would start to go after an unattainable goal that would ultimately lead him down a dark path. 

Though we can pursue earthly achievements in our careers, finances, homes, sports, hobbies, etc., we are called to live with eternity in mind as Christians. A gold medal, large retirement account, promotion, or degree is not the pinnacle of our life. The way that we live now is working towards that final goal which will come when the trumpet sounds. As I talked about earlier this week, we can rest in assurance that this goal has already been achieved. The victory is won, and we wait for Jesus to come. 

I can say that… but in my heart of hearts, sometimes it’s hard to live like that is actually true. I like to be in control, and for the things that I’m actually good at (which is not sports), I like to be one of the best. I will go all out. And, so in my Christian walk, I can fluctuate from being distracted and worried about the cares of the world and being so legalistic that I stifle the relationship that I’m trying to work towards. When I make it about me, I can go down a wrong path – just like Caleb Dressel. I can’t do anything to add to the accomplishments of Christ, and so all of my actions where I am trying to be the ‘best’ Christian ultimately burn me out and leave me empty – and they can actually leave me further away from Christ (like the Pharisees). 

In 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, Paul writes, “17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

We don’t have to live by the law of the letter anymore. We can live in the freedom that comes from living in the Holy Spirit. We are not changing ourselves on our own power; we are relying on the power of God. And, God can do so much more than any man – Olympic medal winning or not. When we rely on him, we have the victory! Whose power are you living in?

~ Cayce Fletcher

Read or listen to today’s Bible reading at Biblegateway.com: Job 3-4 and 2 Corinthians 3 .

download the seekgrowlove 2021 Bible reading plan

Isaiah 31-34

The Lord gives victory to his anointed. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

One highlight of my year is going to South East Camp held on the mountaintops of the NC Blue Ridge. Years ago, we drove down the mountain to a center with a high ropes course. Everyone suited up with a helmet and a buddy and clipped their carabiner to the first level on the course. Now, I have some friends who are into rock climbing and would be happy to dangle off the top of a mountain just to get the adrenaline rush. However, I am not that person. As a child, I used to get weak knees going to the edge of the second floor balcony at my church. In fact, there are still some rides I refuse to go on at amusement parks, because the drop is just too much. I’ve gotten better, but I definitely am still scared of heights. Going back to our high ropes adventure, I made it through the whole course, including the more difficult parts, but then I came to the end where I needed to zip line down to the ground. 

Looking down off the ledge, I could already feel a tingling in my knees and my palms getting sweaty. At that moment, I felt like turning around and going through the whole ropes course again just to make it back down to the bottom, because I felt like that was something that I could control with my body. Even though my heart was racing, I paused to take a few deep breaths, and then I stepped off the side to zoom through the air. In truth, once I picked up my feet, I felt safe and secure in my harness. The obstacle I had to overcome was one of trusting that my harness would do what it was supposed to do. I had to trust in something that I couldn’t control, but was probably the quickest and safest way down. 

In Isaiah 31, we read about some trust issues that the Israelites had developed with God. They weren’t afraid of heights in this case; instead, they were afraid of the nations around them. Israel had chosen to rely on numbers of men and horses when they faced battle, and because of this, they had grown to depend on Egypt’s help. They thought that by controlling the amount of man- and horsepower they could bring to a fight they could ensure their victory. However, God reminds them that the “Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit” (Isaiah 31:3). God was so much stronger than anyone the Israelites would face, but they refused to see it. By not trusting in God, they paved the way for their own demise (v. 3). 

We also have a daily choice between trusting God or trusting our own flesh. It may come in the form of choosing to be obedient to God’s command, by giving away our money or time to someone in need, or by sacrificing a desire to make room for a deeper relationship with God. In those times, we may want to trust in our own minds or bodies, because we feel like we can control those things. But, remember, God is so much more mighty than we are. We can trust him in whatever situation that we face. 

~ Cayce Fletcher

 

Today’s Bible passage can be read or listened to on Bible Gateway – Isaiah 31-34.

Tomorrow, we continue reading about the history of Judah and Israel in Isaiah 35-36– as we continue the 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan.

Micah 1-7

What does the Lord require of you_

Micah was a minor prophet who simply conveyed the truths of God to the people of Israel of his day and in just 7 chapters he spoke volumes! What I love most about his message was that he spoke of God’s judgement as well as God’s mercy.

His task at hand must have been very daunting to speak in a day of a divided nation (Israel and Judah) about their sins and the judgement of destruction it would bring on them. 

Chapter 1 speaks of their Idolatry and looting. (Vs. 6&7)  Chapter 2 refers to the schemes of the wicked oppressors and their evil plots and injustice to others. (1-3) Chapter 3 brings out that the leaders were corrupt and many were “paying off” false prophets to tell the people what they wanted them to hear. (Vs. 5)

Can we relate to a nation like this?

But in the midst of this we are told in chapters 4 and 5 of the Peaceful reign to come in “Latter Days”. Chapter 5:2-5 tells us of the baby to be born in Bethlehem and that this One (Jesus) will be our peace.   

How refreshing is that?

In Chapter 6 God speaks of all He has done for His people. His words apply to us today as well. He requires our faith and obedience to Him over our sacrifices. We are told that we cannot justify our own sins by living wicked and then offer burned sacrifices to obtain salvation. (Giving up your first born is mentioned.) Thank goodness Jesus is now our atonement and our way to salvation! (Vs. 6&7)

The answer to what God requires of us is found in the verse I would like to highlight today… act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Our God (Vs.6:8).  Do we show love, kindness and walk with Him?

The acknowledgement of the Prophet himself is what we find in chapter 7. He reflects on the mercies of God and how God is our Salvation and Light. He is quick to forgive, if we truly repent, and we are redeemed by His unfailing love and compassion. He will be faithful to His Remnant. 

Thank goodness Micah bravely spoke truth in such a difficult day and time. The beautiful words we have from his message, along with Isaiah, Hosea and Amos’ as well, as they stood up for the ways of God despite the downward spiral of their society still speaks to us today.

Micah leaves us with the reminder that there is a final day of judgement coming for all the earth so we must stay faithful no matter what we are facing even in our uncertain present day. That false prophecy is ringing in our ears every day and we must ingrain ourselves in the truths of God’s word and stand up to a society where many are turning away from God. Jesus is with us in the midst of this and we are to follow him and look expectantly for his return. Our God is faithful and will remember those who have remained true to Him just as He did all those before us and all to come. Most of all God expects us to ACT JUSTLY, LOVE MERCY AND WALK HUMBLY WITH HIM. May the peace of Christ be with you today.      

~ Donna L. Smith          

 

Today’s Bible passage can be read or listened to on Bible Gateway.

Tomorrow, we continue reading the history of Israel in 2 Chronicles 28 & 2 Kings 16-17 – as we continue the 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan

 

Lessons from the Wilderness: Jesus

Wilderness Wandering Lesson #4: God’s word sustains us when we are depleted by the trials of the wilderness.

god's word does.

This week, as we’ve been thinking about our wilderness wanderings, we’ve primarily looked through the lessons from the Old Testament. Today though, we’re going to turn to the New Testament to see an example of a wilderness experience that can teach us a lot about how to make sure this experience makes us and doesn’t break us.

In Matthew 4, Jesus is tempted in the desert by the Devil for 40 days and 40 nights before he begins his ministry. This is a familiar story that shows the humanity of Jesus and how he can relate to us, but today, I want to focus on where Jesus was tempted. It says in verse 1 that “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.” In our time thinking about the wilderness, we’ve focused on the types of wilderness experiences we may have and how God’s faithful love can sustain us. As we look at Jesus’ experience, we can see how to survive and thrive in the wilderness.  

The first lesson we can glean from this passage is that sometimes, as is the case with the Israelites and Elijah, we are led into the wilderness by God. Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit where he fasted 40 days and 40 nights. At this point, Jesus had not begun his ministry, so this time could have been for testing and strengthening Jesus’ faith and dependence on God so that we could learn from it. By asking ourselves during each wilderness experience “What can I learn from this? How can I grow?”, we can better face the times in wilderness with palms held open instead of allowing bitterness to grow in us.

The second lesson we can learn from Jesus’ time in the wilderness is that God’s word is crucial for surviving in the wilderness. In the wilderness, Jesus had to face physical hunger, thirst, and exhaustion. He also was probably emotionally drained in this time as well. This may sound like a description of ourselves when we go through times in the wilderness. How often in these times where we are sad, lonely, depressed and drained – how often do we pause in these moments and stop the spiral of depression and wandering by saturating ourselves in God’s word? By looking at Jesus’ example, we can see how we can stop temptations in their tracks by responding with God’s word, more specifically by aligning our actions with God’s word.

The last lesson that I want us to focus on today is looking at when this wilderness experience took place. Though Jesus had not begun his ministry yet, in the previous chapter, he had just gotten baptized. All too often, we think that if we have committed our life to God that things will go well, that we’ll never have to experience trials or periods of suffering. But, we can look at Jesus’ life to see that this is simply not that case. Aside from Jesus’ experience on the cross, we can look at the beginning of his ministry as well to see that as these periods will happened to him, they will happen to us.

Jesus survived in the wilderness, and he thrived in the wilderness. I’m not sure what Jesus gained spiritually or emotionally in the wilderness, but I know what I can learn from his experience there. In the wilderness, Jesus was able to overcome temptation and suffering, including not only physical trials – but also spiritual trials – through God’s word. God’s word sustained Jesus and allowed this time to be a springboard into Jesus’ ministry instead of something that would have crippled his ministry. Now, we can look at this story and lessen the impact of what Jesus was able to do because Jesus was the son of God. But, Jesus was capable of growth and change, as seen in Luke 2:52. This is what makes him the perfect mediator for us. So, as we close this lesson today, I want to leave you with the words of Jesus as he readied his disciples for the trials they would face during the days leading up to the crucifixion: “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world” (John 16:33). With Jesus, we can conquer the world, including all our days of wilderness wanderings.

~ Cayce Fletcher

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