June 30

June 30, 2012

 

Every summer we are barraged with a plethora of blockbuster movies. One of the first to appear on the screen this year was "The Avengers." This movie is currently third on the all time box office grosses with 1.4 billion dollars. I can tell you the story line of this movie even without seeing it. All superhero movies basically have the same story line. The world is plunged into a crisis that threatens the very existence of the planet. The situation looks hopeless and the best of human efforts have failed. The police, the Army, the FBI and the Supreme Court can't stop the bad guys. Then, right at that moment, when all is about to be lost, suddenly from among the crowd some shouts, "Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Superman!" The action figure changes in each movie but the outcome is the same. In the end hope is restored; the day is saved, and all of this happened in just the nick of time.  

 

In our reading of Isaiah earlier this week the news is terrible. The world is coming to an end for the nation of Israel. The Assyrians have come in and they are ravaging the land. The Assyrians make al-Qaeda look like a Baptist Sunday School picnic. They deliberately maimed and tortured their enemies. Just image living during this time and everything you have ever counted on for security is gone. Your family, your house, your job, your 401b plan, all of it is gone, forever. That is a hopeless situation.   

 

So how should a believer respond? Do we look up to the sky?  In Isaiah 11 we are told to look down, not up. In this case to look at the stump of the tree the Assyrians have just cut down. God is going to allow the bad guys to cut down the tree. But out of the stump God will send up a fresh new shoot to continue the life of the tree. This tender shoot will eventually grow to be a might branch. Notice the word "Branch" is capitalized. This is a clear picture of the coming superhero Messiah. Their superhero was predicted to come and rescue them. God told them to place their hope not in earthly governments but in Messiah and his eternal kingdom.

 

Just a few characteristics of the coming superhero "Messiah:"

 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him

The Spirit of wisdom and of understanding

The Spirit of counsel and of power

The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD…

with righteousness he will judge the needy; with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

 

Even the untrained eye can see something significant in those verses. The "Spirit" is going to give the Messiah superhuman qualities. He will be able to establish justice in the universe, reverse the curse and defend the needs of the poor.

 

So what should we do as we see our world spiraling in a vortex of hopelessness? Invite the Messiah to live in our hearts, and then copy everything he did. This does not mean we become Messiahs, but that we "ACT" like our Messiah. In everything we do we invite the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us. We pursue justice. We defend the poor and perform acts of kindness for the weak. So don't wait for the bat signal to shine in the sky. Copy our superhero Messiah and become his representative today. Take 10 minutes right now and make a phone call, send a note of encouragement or send a message on Facebook. As we follow our true superhero, Messiah, we'll be committed to his mission.  

 

Friday, June 29, 2012 - Isaiah 7, 8, 9

Friday, June 29, 2012 - Isaiah 7, 8, 9

Halfway through my junior year of college, I began a relationship with
a woman who grew up in a strong Christian family. Initially, I was
repulsed when Jade (now my ex-girlfriend) even mentioned the name
Jesus. Forgive me Lord. I didn't know God and yet, I hated Him. Most
of the time, I denied God's existence. At times when I considered Him
to exist, I had all these negative preconceptions of who I thought He
was. All of this aforethought however, was demolished when I
experienced God's love. It was Jade's family that showed me this love.

The love they poured into me was not human, it was divine. No words
can describe the kindness, tolerance, and patience this family showed
me, despite the verbal and emotional abuse I inflicted on their
daughter. Their divine love raged against my sinful flesh and
completely disarmed me. Over a year and a half to two year period, the
"protective walls (which were actually walls of bondage)" I had put up
were brought down and I was brought to my knees. Three months after
Jade and I broke up, in January 2011, I cried out to God and asked
Christ into my heart. I had barely opened a bible, but nevertheless, I
knew Christ was Lord from His love.

That's where my faith began and it has only increased with this bible
reading journey. I'm learning more and more that Christianity is also
a faith based on facts, not just a blind-faith as some say it is.
Although I don't think there's anything more convincing than an
encounter with God; a taste of His goodness. Nonetheless, the facts
are undeniable too. There are over 300 Messianic prophecies in the Old
Testament that Christ Jesus fulfilled. In the book, "Science Speaks,"
Professor Peter W. Stoner stated that the probability of just eight
particular prophecies being fulfilled in one person is 1 in 10^17,
i.e. 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. An illustration of this probability
from the American Scientific Affiliation is as follows:

"If we take 1 X 10^17 silver dollars and lay them on the face of
Texas, they'll cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of
these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the
state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he
wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the
right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one?"

Again, that's an illustration of one person fulfilling just particular
eight Messianic prophecies. Jesus fulfilled all of them (over 300).
I've listed a few from today's reading below:

1. BORN OF A VIRGIN; 2. AS A HUMAN MALE; 3. AND CALLED IMMANUEL
-Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord himself will give you[c] a sign: The
virgin[d] will conceive and give birth to a son, and[e] will call him
Immanuel.[f]
-Matthew 1:18-23 - This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came
about[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but
before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the
Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law,
and yet[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in
mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to
him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to
take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from
the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give
him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their
sins."
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the
prophet: 23 "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and
they will call him Immanuel"[g] (which means "God with us").

In order that this blog doesn't go on forever (since it already has),
I've listed the other prophecies (from today's reading) below in short
form; you'll have to look them up:

4. A stumbling block to "chosen" people; OT prophecy - Isaiah 8:14;
fulfulled in Christ - 1 Peter 2:8
5. His ministry to begin in Galilee; OT prophecy - Isaiah 9:1, 2;
fulfulled in Christ - Matthew 4:12-17
6. Declared to be the Son of God with power; OT prophecy - Isaiah 9:6;
fulfulled in Christ - Romans 1:3, 4
7. No end to his Government, Throne, and Peace; OT prophecy - Isaiah
9:7; fulfulled in Christ - Luke 1:32-33

God Bless,
Anthony

June 28: Early Beginnings of Captivity

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2012

Early Beginnings of Captivity

1 Chronicles 5:24-26:  “These were the heads of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel.  They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families.  But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.  So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day.”

 

 

The leaders, both governmental and spiritual, have led the people astray, and they have followed willingly after other gods.  They are to receive their due punishment:  removal from the land that marked their spiritual and physical home.

 

While it would be difficult to view the captivity as anything but the culmination of Israel and Judah’s long moral slide, God still has redemptive purposes through this historical detour.  Despite Israel and Judah’s sin, God will remain faithful to His promises to give them (and later the Church) a land of their own.  First, the people of God will face an exile to Assyria but will receive physical restoration in the land less than 100 years later.  God would then direct His Son to come to earth, demonstrating God’s love and forgiveness through His life and through His death, offered as an atoning sacrifice for sin.  Still, after the birth of the Church, God orchestrated persecution of the disciples, which ironically encouraged the growth and spread of the Gospel both in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

 

As I reflected on the coming exile, several verses came to mind:

 

1. Romans 4:16-17:  “Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.  He is the father of us all.  As it is written:  ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’  He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed — the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” 
2. Hebrews 11:13-16:  “All these people were still living by faith when they died.  They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.  And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country — a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” 
3. Philippians 3:20-21:  “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” 
4. Romans 8:18-25

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that  the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

 

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what he already has?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

 

 

As we celebrate the upcoming U.S. Independence Day, we ought to remember our heavenly citizenship.  Do you ever find yourself feeling like a “stranger” on earth?  If we are seeking to live a holy life, the Scriptures explain that we will!  Indeed, as Paul promises in 2 Timothy 3:12, “in fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”  While the entire world struggles through life, we know that, as we seek to bring glory to God in all things, our lives have eternal purpose.  God will empower us through His Holy Spirit in these efforts:  “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him…. ” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

 

I encourage you to rejoice in God’s plans for the Church and for your life today:  redemption and restoration through true repentance and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.  Praise Him that He leads us through mountaintop experiences and sloughs of despair.  He teaches us through the mundane about the heavenly, and He never stops loving us, even as our sinful nature separates us from Him.  Indeed, it is during this time of exile and judgment that God raises up a number of prophets who speak clearly about the coming Messiah, describing His birthplace, His appearance, and even His atoning death.

 

 

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Micah 6-7

Micah 6-7

 

Divan and I were watching tv the other night, channel surfing, and I came across the last 20 minutes of "A Few Good Men." If you want the truth, I have honestly never seen the entire movie, but I (and I'm sure the rest of America) can quote the entire last 10 minutes.  I'm going word by word back and forth with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson about wanting the truth, Divan looks at me, lovingly rolls his eyes at me, and we move on.  Trying to justify myself to him, I started to ramble on about how this is probably the most famous movie court scene in movies.  Reading this passage in Micah made me think of that court scene – the desire for justice and truth.  In chapter 6 and 7 we images of a court room, a sinful nation, and a just God. 

            Israel has always been a wishy- washy nation.  They are for God and then they are against Him.  They are told to "plead their case."  We see the God in a big light – a Deliverer.  God reminds His people (over and over again) about how He has always bailed them out – Egypt, evil kings, and slavery.  A great picture and attribute of who God is.  He never gave up on them.  He saved and delivered them.  We see God not wanting quantity or stuff.  He does not want rituals or religious acts that are empty.  He doesn't want us to give offerings like Cain.  So "what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."  Wow.  Not gonna lie, but I felt my heart lifted.  I felt a sigh of relief, I almost got a little emotional after reading this verse.  What a GRACIOUS God.  That's what He wants from me.  There is action, there is love, and walking (a daily function) with God.  He wants me with Him.  No bells and whistles. 

            The relief kinda faded as I continued to read, and the reality checked in that I serve and follow a merciful God who loves, but He is also a just God, a wrathful and jealous God.  He hates sin and He punishes.  Israel was warned and experienced this wrath: the absence of satisfaction, famine, war, poverty, empty harvests, war, and emptiness and misery. 

            We jump into chapter 7 (which has become one of my new favorites) and we see a development in this eternal court scene.  Truth! Redemption! So many amazing images of God: our Savior, Merciful, DELIGHTED, forgiver, Compassionate, Promise Keeper.  Israel confesses, "Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.  Because I have sinned against Him,  I will bear the Lord's wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right."  He will bring me out into the light…:  Wow again.  Relief.   

            I think about all the world religions and all the false gods people worship.  There is none like Him. The nations will one day see God and be ashamed.  God loves his children and actually DELIGHTS in showing mercy.  He forgives our sins and transgressions.  The ugliness that we tuck away in the back of our hearts, minds, and pasts, even those He delights in forgiveness and mercy.  His compassion is so great and endless He "treads out our sins underfoot, and hurls ALL (yes all) our inequities (sins and ugly darkness) into the depths of the sea."  I can't even imagine what the depths of the sea looks like or how deep it really is.  Our God is so big and so great.  Relief again.  Court adjourned and the sinners are saved.  I am saved.  What a God.  We see the images of deliverance.  We see the picture of our Savior.  Delighted to show us mercy.  Compassionate.  I am humbled. 

             

June 26

Micah 3-5

The prophet Micah has been filled with the power of the Spirit of the Lord to tell Israel of their sin and transgression (3:8). He certainly doesn't hold back when it comes to rebuking them. He has harsh words for leaders who love evil, prophets who lead people astray, and rulers who distort what is right. God is just and holy and He will not allow the sin of the people to go unpunished. They will have to pay for what they have done.

Right in the middle of today's reading is some very good news: there is a Messiah coming who will redeem His people out of the hand of their enemy (4:10). He will rule forever and stand as a shepherd over His flock. His people will live securely and He will be their peace (5:4-5). Even though they have greatly sinned, God is revealing a glimpse of His plan to save His people from their sin.

We have the advantage of hindsight. We already know the amazing way that Jesus the Messiah paid the ultimate price for our sins so that we can have a right relationship with God. Because God is holy and just, He cannot tolerant sin. When someone sins, there must be a price paid in order to make things right again. The good news is that God carried out a plan in which His Son would pay the price for all our sins. God is holy and just, but He also loves us more than we could image. In the midst of rebuking His people for their wickedness, He is telling them that He will never let them go!

June 25th A New Testament Prophesy Curtosy of Micah

Old testament prophesy regarding the people who claimed to be God's children:

"If a liar and deceiver comes and says, 'I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,' he would be just the prophet for this people!"  Micah 2:11

New testament prophesy regarding the people who claim to be God's children:

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.    2 Timothy 4:3

At times it can be so easy to read the bible and see the foolishness and error of the people who lived during these events.  We can judge them as being so blind and lacking wisdom while they think they were so wise.  But, we often need to stop and realize that the prophecies that were written against them are often times written as a warning to us as well.  Often times these warnings are repeated to offer new warnings to us now.

I was struck today by the verse from Micah 2:11 because it basically is the same prophesy that is made hundreds of years later that applies to us today in 2 Timothy 4:3.  We live in a time when people do not want to be told they are wrong.  We want to make our own truth.  We live in a time when people do not want to live inside of boundaries or rules.  We want to decide for ourselves what our boundaries should be and what rules to apply to our individual lives so that we can live according to how we feel we should live and what we think will make us the happiest.  We are easily offended when someone or something speaks against our human desires and causes us to feel as if we may be wrong.  We rebel against authority in our lives when it doesn't line up with our idea of right (good) and wrong (bad).  We want only to hear that which makes us feel good.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."  Ephesians 4:29

I think that sometimes we look at the verse above as telling us that we should only say things that will "tickle" the ears of those who are listening, things that will make them "feel" good.  But sometimes the things that need to be heard, that will benefit the listener aren't easy to speak because they aren't easily accepted.  Micah was charged by God to speak painful truth to his children because it was what they needed to hear not what they wanted to hear.  The verse in Timothy was written not to make us feel warm and fuzzy inside but to convict hearts that have moved their boundary stones, widened them, to return to the truths of God and to stay within the limits of God's loving care by protecting our hearts from intoxicating words that blur the life giving truth of God's word (sound doctrine).

Remember, If we read in Micah how God's word was not something to be altered to suit the needs of the people without great calamity, disaster and cost then we should not think that we are above that now.   We should not think we are better and capable of doing, or changing rather, that which God clearly showed us is unchangeable – His truth, His Word.

Don't just continue to read God's Word each day but pray that nothing will hinder the Holy Spirit from revealing the truth to our hearts and convicting that which needs to be removed from our lives and thoughts.  Don't take the dangerous path of mixing worldly truths with spiritual truths because it is like trying to mix oil water – they don't mix.  Keep the word pure and unpolluted.  Keep the boundary stones of your hearts where God has placed them for you.

"… when you received the word of God… you accepted it not as the word of men, but  as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe."  1 Thessalonians 2:13

Sunday June 24th

Sunday June 24^th 2012

The rest of Isaiah

The beginning of today's reading is pretty graphic if you picture it. Fires, decay, mountains shaking, dead bodies in the streets, and army of perfect soldiers- sounds like the makings of a really good horror movie. People will try anything, from fleeing and hiding, to their idols, to seeking help from their fellow men, but nothing will work. So God then reminds the people that if they would only turn to Him, their sins would be forgiven. If they would seek Him out, nothing they had done previously would make God turn away from them. It's a powerful message, and one that repeats throughout the Bible. I don't know how many times He repeats that if you turn to Him, He will love you unconditionally. It's almost a Biblical mantra, it's repeated so often- seek out the Lord, gain forgiveness and love. It seems like such an easy thing to do, right? Not always, and not for everyone.

The people in today's passage were faced with death. Their options literally were: 1. Seek the Lord and gain forgiveness or 2. Die a horrible death. I think if ever faced with these options I know which one I would pick. I would turn to God in a heartbeat. But this brings up another interesting thought: what are people's real reasons for turning to God? Are they only turning to Him to "evade a horrible death," whether that death be literal, like in the passage today, or figurative death or loss? That doesn't seem fair, it seems selfish. It would be like only going to Him when you need Him. You would become that friend that only calls you when he or she needs help with something, and then is never heard from again until his or her next problem. But this just goes and proves God's love. He is willing to accept you any way He can, because He knows once you've seen His greatness, you're going to be coming willingly, because who would want to live without the eternal peace God offers? Like Kenny said in his sermon today, you're going to want to go back for more apples, and you're going to want to share them. (The apples meaning God and His love, for those who missed today's sermon). But as we keep reading about the political uprisings at the time, we see that a cycle is there. King ascends, king does wrong by God, king loses his power. This reinforces the idea that all good things come with God, and once you stray from that path, you can't take those good things with you.

Today's reading ends with Isaiah volunteering himself to do God's work. He turns to God because he loves Him, and not just out of personal need. I'm going to attach a song that I grew up singing about these very verses called "Here I Am, Lord." I went to Catholic school for most of my life, and this song was pretty much a constant at every mass. It's a beautiful hymn that I'm glad I have the opportunity to share with you all.

I hope you all had a wonderful Sunday!

-Gina :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWme0w2kLGk&feature=related

June 23: Isaiah

(Posted on behalf of Jon Lanuza)

SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 2012

Isaiah

 

It was tempting to think today's reading was God micromanaging our lives, always in the negative - do not do this, do not be that way...do not be idolatrous, do not be proud, do not be an oppressive leader or a haughty woman, do not be arrogant or rationalize your sinfulness...do not get drunk (I loved Isaiah's sarcasm in that one - "champions at mixing drinks..."...good one, Isaiah!).  It was tempting to stop there, to think that was all today's reading was about.  But that wasn't all it was about.

 

At the end of the day, it seems the list of sins merely illustrate the root of the sin - the rejection of God, the abandonment of a relationship with Him.  It is there at the beginning - "I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.  The ox knows his master....but Israel does not know, my people do not understand."  And Isaiah goes on to talk of how "They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him."

 

When we turn away from God, by necessity we turn to something else - typically, ourselves. So instead of living selflessly and expressing a love for God, we focus instead on the gratification of self.  It is then that we commit injustice, sacrificing the most vulnerable to satisfy ourselves; it is then we find idols we think will be more understanding of our self indulgence; it is then we find it easy to pretend we are responsible for the good things we enjoy, and delude those who look to us for leadership.  It is then we put great importance in our possessions and appearance, and seek to enrich ourselves at the expense of others.  We manifest and perpetuate arrogance and we rationalize our self importance and the rejection of God.

 

The world Isaiah describes and laments seems so familiar - he could well be prophesying to us today.  And I would be thoroughly guilty of each of his accusations, having sinned and fallen away from God repeatedly and at length, aided and encouraged by a world that seems to value but one thing - self gratification.  

 

This is why it is so important to stay in a relationship with God, to get to know Him more each day, to spend time with Him in prayer and communion.  That way we remain bound to His strength and wisdom, and we do not spurn the Holy One of Israel, we do not fall into the trap of our own humanity.  Perhaps then, when it is premised on relationship with Him, the manifestations of our faith - the offerings, the prayer - will no longer be meaningless, will no longer constitute formalism. 

 

Today, please consider praying in thanksgiving, that God loves us enough to remind us, through His word, of the importance of relationship with Him.  And please consider praying for the persistence to do our share to build that relationship and, equally importantly, to pass on the example, especially to our children.

 

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Friday, June 22, 2012 - Pride, Humility, and God's Grace

Friday, June 22, 2012
Pride, Humility, and God's Grace

In the last part of today's reading, we witness the fall of Uzziah
(also known as Azariah). How could this happen? He has been perhaps
the greatest king (of Judah/Southern Israeli Kingdom) since Solomon,
with the exception of Jehoshaphat. If you recall, Uzziah's
accomplishments were many; took the throne at age sixteen and reigned
for fifty-two years; under the influence of the prophet Zechariah, he
was faithful to God, and "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord"
(2 Kings 15:3); fortified the defenses of Jerusalem; Ammonites
esteemed him; fame spread all the way to Egypt, because he had become
very powerful. Unfortunately his fame birthed pride, which led to his
downfall. Remember Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, a
haughty spirit before a fall."

In the end, Uzziah thought himself great enough to break God's
command. He "entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the
altar of incense" (2 Chron. 26:16). The priests then confronted Uzziah
and confirmed this duty as their own; "that is for the priests, the
descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense" (2
Chron 26:18). Hearing this, Uzziah raged at the priests and was
immediately afflicted with leprosy.

During Old Testament times, if you had leprosy, it didn't matter who
you were, you were considered an outcast. King Uzziah spent the rest
of his days in isolation and could no longer enter the temple of the
Lord.

I must confess, in my short walk with the Lord I can count many times
already when my pride has led to rebuking from the Lord. I'm just
thankful that rebuking hasn't been leprosy. Most of the time, this
pride has manifested itself internally in my thoughts. It can be so
simple, yet so detrimental to my acknowledgement of God's greatness
and my place as His creation.

For instance, in my pride, I have thought myself to walk a better path
than others. This thought becomes detrimental when it leads me to
believing I'm better than someone else. When this happens, God's
presence comes on my heart and rebukes me. Immediately I burst into
tears because I feel God's holiness and my unholiness. I start
repenting and ask God to forgive me for my thinking that I'm better
than anybody. He reminds me that I'm his son and the person I may be
judging on my heart is also his son or daughter. He tells me that he
loves me and that person the same. I cry more because his unfailing
love is beyond my comprehension. He tells me to imitate his love and
to have his compassion.

I mean who am I really to even cast a stone in my thoughts? The Lord
God Almighty is the Holy One! We fall short of His holiness. Let's
remember that we're all sinners and should not cast a stone even in
our thoughts. Let's pray that we "take captive every thought to make
it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). Let's pray that God
"create in [us] a pure heart…and renew and steadfast spirit within
[us]" (Psalm 51:10). Let's not run a good race, but waiver in the end
like Uzziah. Finish strong and receive your crown. Regard highly what
the apostle Paul said:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept
the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day —and
not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing" (2
Timothy 4:7-8).

God Bless,
Anthony

PS: If you are in need of restoration, come to Grace tonight between
6:30 and 9:30 and receive restorative prayer. God wants to heal you
and reveal His plans for you.

June 21: Amos 5 to 9

THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2012

Amos 5–9

“Seek me and live.”  In Chapter Five, the Lord speaks to Israel through Amos, urging them to avoid their religious formalism and to instead seek God.  If the Israelites, who have turned “justice into bitterness,” do not repent, God will bring down His righteous sentence.  Amos testifies to God’s power by acknowledging His creation of and command over the forces of nature.  The leaders have “trample[d] on the poor,” exploiting them for their own gain and denying them justice.  Throughout history, God has desired a living, breathing relationship with man, and He sent His Son to guarantee His forgiveness to those who truly sought Him:

 

1. Deuteronomy 4:29:  “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 
2. 1 Chronicles 28:9:  “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.  If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” 
3. John 17:3:  “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” 
4. Hebrews 11:6:  “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

  

“Let justice roll on like a river.”  The pride of the spiritual leaders had reached such great heights that God has become thoroughly disgusted with Israel’s religious practice.  Their rituals belied their evil, prideful hearts and motives.  In contrast, God shows great concern for the poor and needy, whom He had urged the Israelites to love.  In Israel, God provided for the poor by leaving sections of the fields unpicked.  God declared His concern for the poor through the Mosaic law and in the Psalms:

 

“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;

       maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Rescue the weak and needy;

       deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (82:3,4)

 

 

As God’s representatives, the spiritual leaders had neglected their responsibility to the poor.  Beyond neglect, however, they had enriched themselves at the poor’s expense, while luxuriating in their palaces.  While these foolish leaders had “built stone mansions,/ you will not live in them;/ though you have planted lush vineyards,/ you will not drink their wine.”  (Amos 5:11)  Those who engage in temporal pleasures, particularly at the expense of the poor, will enjoy fleeting glory – like the grass of the fields (Isaiah 40:6–8; Matthew 6:30).

 

 

“The day of the Lord.”  While the Israelites see this event as bringing them (beneficial) justice, they will instead face “darkness, not light./  It will be as though a man fled from a lion/ only to meet a bear... “  While God would spare some judgment, Amos’s several visions point to a certain punishment.  He would destroy the “high places” but also would deny the people His presence:

 

“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,

                “when I will send a famine through the land-- Not a famine of food or a thirst for water,

                but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.

Men will stagger from sea to seas

                and wander from noth to east,

Searching for the word of the Lord,

                but they will not find it.”

 

 

Yet, in His great compassion, God still promises that He will not totally destroy Israel.  He will “restore/ David’s fallen tent” and bring the people back to the land He had given them.  Here, we have a beautiful picture of redemption:  while the people deserve complete destruction as a sentence of God’s justice, He instead shows mercy.  In a similar vein for us, our sin bears severe consequences, but God does restore us daily so that we may live for Him.  Seek Him and live in reverent fear.  May He give us a great hunger for His Word and His presence!

 

QUESTIONS

 

1. What examples of oppressing the poor do you see today?  What can you do about it?
2. Does God’s justice seem warranted in today’s world?  How can you thank Him for His mercy?

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Amos 1-4

Amos 1 – 4

 

Amos was a Hebrew shepherd that God choose to be and "minor" prophet, bringing a big message to the Israelites and it's enemies.  The first thing that really jumped out to me was the first nations that would receive judgment: The Syrians and The Philistines.  Their capital or major cities were Damascus and Gaza.  Think of today's news headlines.  Where is there destruction and unrest?  War is a daily reality in these tragic places.  In my view, it seems as though God's wrath is still being poured out. 

           

The majority of Amos's message was directed to Israel, the Northern Kingdom.  They are identified as God's chosen people, "of all the families of the earth," therefore they will receive God's wrath for their sins and turning away from God's commands.  This declaration made me think of the phrase, "With knowledge comes responsibility," a phrase my mom has never let me forget.  Out of all the nations in the world, Israel is the one that have known and seen God more intimately than any other.  They know God's powers, have seen His miracles, felt his deliverance, and have suffered His wrath.  With this knowledge, they had the responsibility of living according to His law.  Kinda like us today!  We have the knowledge and insight of His word, know right from wrong, and so we will be held responsible for our actions one day. 

 

The Israelites are told that there will be punishment, and there will be God's wrath through natural occurrences and a great enemy.  God directs much of it to the city of Bethel.  You will remember from our early readings in the New Testament that this is a holy city for the Hebrews.  It is the place that Jacob dreamt and interacted with God.  Alters were built there, religious sacrifices took place there (a very sacred and ritualistic part for the Hebrews.)  It was like a capital in the Northern Kingdom.  At this time it had turned onto a place of idol worship, and it is the first place God directs His wrath and destruction.  

 

The verses that follow in chapter 4 reveals the "warnings" God had already sent them: famine, drought, war, death, and cities destroyed.  Sound familiar???  And what happened?  "You have not returned to me,' declares the Lord."  God, the SOVERIGN God, the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, has sent all these signs and opportunities for people to see His POWER!!  And they do not look to Him!!  What do you think is going on today?  Famine, droughts, war, cities destroyed, and still.  We do not return to Him.  Out of all these beginning chapters in Amos, it's the last couple verses that gave me the most chills: "prepare to meet your God, O Israel.  He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth, the Lord God Almighty is his name."  This is it, this is Him.  We all stand before the Almighty one day.  Hear his word. 

 

Return to Him.