BE STILL

"Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still." 

Psalm 4:4

In today's world, being still has become a challenge.  In a modern culture where technology seems to have total control of our life, cell phones, fun apps, computers, TV's and web surfing can be fun and enjoyable.  Sadly, many of these gadgets and distractions take us away from being still in the presence of God.  Let us consider what it means to be still in the presence of God.

We forget that being still in the presence of God brings us direction from God’s Word and breathes life into us.  It helps us not only to speak to God but to listen to Him through His Word.

I am not going to deny that technology is essential in today's world.  It makes things much easier for us, but we all have to choose and decide how much time to spend on any given activity and determine what the priorities in our life are.  Often many waste away their precious God-given time on the Internet and various diversions.  These will rob us of our peace and wholeness. It will also leave us lacking the wisdom of God's Word and will.


I.   STILLNESS AND QUIETNESS:

It is so vital in our walk as Christians to listen to God and learn wisdom from Him.  Straight from His Word, the Bible.  Nothing in this world can replace God's wisdom, not even all that you learn by searching all the four corners of the earth on the Internet.  We forget that God often reaches us amid our stillness and quietness as we meditate on His thoughts and ways.

We must make time to listen to God.  We must strip away all the unnecessary layers of distractions.  We must ask God humbly for wisdom to judge what stays and what goes!

It is living in the stillness that allows us to contemplate prayer as an essential part of our life as modeled by Jesus and the apostles.

"But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray"  (Luke 5:16).

If our Lord Jesus had to retreat from all earthly distractions to call on God, where do we stand? Are we making time to pray, study God's Word and meditate on it so that we may be strengthened and gain wisdom to save us from the dominion of darkness?  I am afraid many of us don't! 

We fail to retreat from our unnecessary busyness, and our activities become a stumbling block. If our Lord Jesus found it necessary and vital, how much more is it necessary for us?  How are we going to be grounded in His Word and learn how to teach others who are lost in sin if we don't take the necessary time to study and pray?  All layers of earthly distractions must go away!

"It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God"  (Luke 6:12).

It is so easy to miss living a life truly for God.  We must go against the grain of constant clamor!  The noise of this life can only make us miss the purpose of what God really wants for us.

It is of great importance that we make time for God and His kingdom of righteousness.  What that means is that we must choose to have days with "nothing" on our schedule.  Nothing does not mean being free from basic daily tasks, but it can simply look like not adding extra activities, extra busyness for a period of time.  Let us not fill up our life with unnecessary earthly activity, which causes us to avoid being in the presence of God by studying and meditating in His Word and reaching out to Him in prayer.

We don’t need for our days to be jam-packed to feel good about ourselves.  A full schedule does not necessarily mean that we have a purpose.  God already has a great purpose for us, and that is to do His will and further His kingdom for His sake.

"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven"  (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

God is the Author of time, and He gives it to us to do His will and do everything He sets before us in each designated season of our life.  Each season will require time well spent being still in His presence.  Otherwise, we will never know what it is that we must do with that time of life that God has given to us.  Let us not deceive ourselves and find ourselves ashamed by the great Judge of all.

During each season of our life, God will give us abundant life if we do His will.  Thus we must not fill up all of our time with distractions because we are afraid that maybe God has planned more for us.  It is His will that we walk our path of faith here on earth.  He only has our good in mind.  He is a flawless and unselfish God.

 "Who shows loving kindness to thousands, but repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O great and mighty God. The Lord of hosts is His name"  (Jeremiah 32:18).

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we all have to use the latest technology there is out there and be involved in every useless earthly activity which bears no good fruit for His glory.

"The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh"  (Ecclesiastes 4:5).

Idleness is dangerous!  Let us be careful and not fall into Satan's trap by doing those things that do not bear good fruit, those that are unfruitful, and make us lose our souls.  They are real-time wasters, and we will have to give account to the Judge of all.  God wants and demands that we be not idle or negligent in seeking His wisdom and His kingdom of righteousness.  We must not be idle in living righteously and blamelessly for Him!  We must not be idle in the tasks or duties He has put explicitly before us to do with all diligence (family duties, the task of raising children, the obligation to further His church or kingdom, doing the work that bears good fruit, honors and glorifies Him).

If we do not pursue the right things diligently, using our time wisely, we will be walking as fools folding our hands even while being busy.  When we waste the work of our hands, not pursuing what God has given us to do, our hands are going to be idle in God's eyes, and judgment will come to us.

When we are still, we can learn of His holiness.  We can see His majesty.  We can see His good works in our lives and all that He has blessed us with.  We have time to reflect on all these things, not leaving room to ignore what He has done for us.  We learn all that He is to us.  We learn all the plans He has for us.  Plans to restore and mold our souls into His image.  To become and think like Him in His steadfastness and love.

"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well"  (Psalm 139:14).

Sadly our souls will not know this blessing if we are never still in His presence.


CONCLUSION:

Let us purpose in our heart to find time to be still in His presence, whatever season we may be in. I assure you that the way you see life will be different.  Your perspective will change.  It will bring you peace, contentment, and great understanding.  And most importantly, it will help you de-clutter all the unnecessary layers of earthly distraction in your life.

Let us meditate on these words.

"Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"  (Psalm 46:10).

May the Lord help us to tremble at His Word and be still in His presence.


Luci

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort."

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Most of us are familiar with the hymn, "It Is Well with My Soul."  I love it, not only for its beautiful message but because of the history behind it.  It was written by Horatio Gates Spafford. Horatio and his wife lived in Chicago with their five children. He always maintained his faith despite financial success.  He was a businessman who lost almost all of his sizable investments in the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871.  At about that same time,  his four years old son died of scarlet fever.

Two years later, in 1873, after he had lost his business, Spafford was advised by his doctor to take a rest.  And then to make things worse, a little while after that, his wife had health problems due to the loss of their son.  He planned a trip for her to help her emotionally. He was going to take his family to England, but due to unexpected, last-minute business, he had to remain in Chicago and sent his wife and their four daughters ahead of him.  His family sailed on a French steamer without him.  The ship sank in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when it was struck by the Loch Earn, an iron sailing vessel.  He lost his four daughters, all of his family except for his wife, Anna Spafford.  What a tragedy!

It is believed that he wrote a poem shortly after that as an expression of his faith in God.  The poem began with the following words.

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, 

When sorrows like sea billows roll; 

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, 

It is well, with my soul."

Three years later, in 1876, Spafford gave the poem to Ira David Sankey.

The song, "It Is Well with My Soul" is a beautiful and moving song that gives us hope amid life's fiery trials and reminds us also that God will redeem our souls from the power of the grave and receive us into His heavenly portals.  Let us consider the hope that we have as an anchor of our soul.  An anchor that reassures us of our hope and that helps us to say with confidence,

“It Is Well with My Soul.”

I.   THE PEACE OF GOD AMID OUR FIERY TRIALS:  

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, 

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul."

The first stanza of the poem describes the peace that God extends to us like a river amid our fiery trials (Isa. 66:12).  Those who trust in God can have the peace that keeps their souls when sorrows and anxiety come our way.  God does not want us to be anxious about anything.  He wants us to make known our needs by supplication and prayer to Him with thanksgiving.  He has promised to give us His peace and to guard our hearts and minds (Phil. 4:6-7).   We must believe that His peace is available to us when sorrows cause us anxiety and despair!   We must learn to be content whatever our lot, knowing that God is with us all the way.  He has promised not to leave us nor forsake us.  We can assuredly say,

"The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"  (Heb. 13:5-6).

II.   THE ASSURANCE OF REDEMPTION IN OUR TRIALS: 

"Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul."

The second stanza gives us the assurance of redemption in our time of trials.  Although Satan might buffet us through the fiery trials of life, God's faithful children, those whose hearts are right with Him, can rest assured that God cares and is aware of what is happening to us.  As faithful Christians, we must rejoice and be glad, for we are sharing in Christ's sufferings (1 Peter 4:12-13).

Thus, "we can draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water"  (Hebrews 10:22).  Our full assurance is based on Christ's own blood that was shed for us.

"For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26:28).

III.   FORGIVENESS OF SINS IN CHRIST:  

"My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to His (or the) cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"

The third stanza describes the forgiveness of sins through Christ's blood.  Since we all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God, we need the blood of Jesus to redeem us (Romans 3:23).  Jesus, our Lord, bore our sins when He gave His body on the tree as a sacrifice for us that through Him we might be forgiven of our sins and rise up in newness of life to righteousness.

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

Thus, through His precious blood, we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 1:7).


IV.   WE HAVE LIFE IN CHRIST:  

"For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pain (or pang) shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul."

The fourth stanza (not in HFWR) declares that we have life in Christ, and He lives in us.  Since we have been crucified with Christ in the waters of baptism, we must cease the practice of sin, for He lives in us.

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me"  (Gal. 2:20).

In our stanza, "Jordan" symbolizes the time of death (Heb. 9:27).  As those who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, we must magnify, honor the Lord both in life and death (Phil. 1:20).


V.   WE MUST PRESS ON TOWARD OUR GOAL:  

"But Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul."

The fifth stanza (also not in HFWR) tells us that we have a goal to press on toward and that we must patiently wait for the Lord's coming (1 Thess. 1:9-10).  This promise should motivate us to keep ourselves pressing on toward our goal, our prize.

"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14).

Thus, we must look forward to hearing His voice (John 5:28-29).


VI.  OUR EXPECTATION OF CHRIST'S COMING:  

"And Lord haste the day, when the faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul."

The sixth stanza speaks of our expectation that Christ will come as He has promised.  We don't know, and we are not told when that day will be, but we do know that someday the trumpet will sound.  Then the Lord, as He has promised, will descend in the same way as He went to heaven (Acts 1:11).

"Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51-52).

 "And said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven'" (Acts 1:11).

Thus we must live faithfully and live with this expectation, eagerly waiting for His coming.

 "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20).

CONCLUSION:

Maybe, you and I have not lost our children, but some have. Tragedies like this often rob us of our peace. It may be debilitating health, death, significant financial losses, rebellious children, unbearable conflicts in our marriage, brethren or many other things that are  thrown our way to rob us of our peace.  The list may be extensive, but we must remember to turn our hearts toward the Lord, as Horatio did, to find true peace.  Divine peace that surpasses our terrible circumstances in life, and that so often passes our own understanding!

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"  (Philippians 4:7).  

Divine peace can only be found in God.  He has told us how to think.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.  The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you"  (Philippians 4:8-9).  

Jesus, our Lord, puts tranquility in our hearts, no matter our circumstances, no matter the severe storms in our lives that rage furiously all around us.  Trusting in Him will not only lead us to perfect, divine peace, but also to an abundant thankfulness.  It will help us to learn more about the greatness of our Lord God Almighty.

This beautiful song expresses in the chorus the well being of the soul who trusts in the Lord.

It is well (it is well),

With my soul (with my soul),

It is well,

It is well with my soul.

This song gives us hope in heaven.  We have an anchor of hope, that reassures us, and that will help us to say with confidence,

“It Is Well with My Soul.”

"So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek"  (Hebrews 6:13-20).

Whether difficult or not, may our circumstances not rob us or keep us from holding fast and drawing nearer to our Father in heaven.  He is our everlasting hope.  In Him, we have that peace like a river that attendeth our way!


Luci

AMBITION FOR A QUIET LIFE

"And to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you."

I Thessalonians 4:11

In our modern culture, living a simple and quiet life has become obsolete and a forgotten virtue. Living this kind of life used to be accepted as a spiritual discipline, which was wise for one to pursue.  Let us consider that quiet life that the Lord has in mind for us.

We seem to have forgotten that quiet living leads to peace and peace to Christ.  One who lives a quiet life has more time to abide in Christ.  What that means is one would have more time to worship Him while doing the simple daily tasks of life.  It is the quiet heart that can perform the necessary tasks as unto God.  God knows well who is living a quiet life and who has the time to get to know Him well for Him to abide in him and he in Him.


I.  THE QUIET HEART:

We find quiet in our soul, mind, and heart.  There is no other way to find it.  Quiet is found in the heart who finds rest at the feet of God.  It is the heart that finds rest in Him while it is going about the daily work(tasks) of life.

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve" (Colossians 3:23-24).

The heart learns that when we clutter up life with too many things that are not from God, it will keep the heart from being quiet and still. The heart must acknowledge that whatever is not from God causes anxiety and fatigue.  God asks us to live a quiet life.  God in His wisdom knows that anxiety, fatigue, and chaos are merely the end results and physical symptoms of spiritual sickness, lack of peace, lack of time with God.  God gives us simple tasks to complete in our daily life.  He is a good and kind God who does not fill our plate with unnecessary extras.  All He asks is that we find joy, delight, and peace with the simple tasks He bestows upon us.

As we learn to obey God in our simple and quiet work daily, we start to see and know Him better. We start walking with Him more and He with us.  He starts guiding us and pouring His peace on us. We start bearing more fruit and stop being idle and lazy.  It is then that we begin to do the work that He has given us.

Today most of us are cluttered.  We seem to be drowning with activities, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, all kinds of social media, entertainment, and pop culture.  We want more and more earthly pleasures without reservations.  The bombardment is constant!  There is no time for living a simple and refreshed life in God's peace.  These are all distractions that clutter us and cover us with layer upon layer of carnal things that can not give us satisfaction.  It is a spirit that lives at a fast and frantic pace! 

We forget that God has designed us to find rest in Him only.  This must be the longing of our souls. When we don't live a life that is simple and quiet, we start to feel all sorts of sickness and anxieties. Lest we forget, our real home is heaven.  It is that permanent place of rest in God.  When we do not live a quiet life, we begin to feel unhealthy, depressed, chaotic, and sick because of all the wrong things we seek to fill up our lives.  Why not think how sweet heaven will be when our final journey is ended?  How sweet that final rest will be after all our toils, suffering, and fatigue!


CONCLUSION:

When we live a quiet life, we are going to be the light of the world for Christ, a life of doing the work He has given us to do.  It is a life of taking advantage of all of our abilities as tools to evangelize, bringing the Gospel of Christ to a world of darkness.  It is a life of offering God a sweet aroma.  It is in living a life as His simple, quiet and faithful servants that He will be pleased.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God"  (Matthew 5:8).

May our Lord show us His Truth in a quiet life.  May He lead us along His paths of righteousness.  May He show us His ways to peace.  May He guard our heart, soul, and mind against clutter that will seek to lead us astray.  May we have a heart of discernment whose ambitions are His only.

"To obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you"  (I Peter 1:4).

Luci

CLOTHED IN CHRIST

 "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."'

Revelation 7:9-10

As Christ makes His abode in us and we in Him through the Spirit, we come to know God more and are changing more into His likeness, His image. We awaken and become aware that He is clothing us in His likeness: His meekness, His steadfastness, His lovingkindness, and His righteousness. We become more conscious of His Son's sacrifice, that cruel death on the cross.

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."   2 Corinthians 3:18

I.   OUR INNER CLOTHING:  

As our hearts and minds are being changed into newness of life, they are renewed and transformed. We are regenerated in heart and soul as we walk in Jesus' steps. Our newness of life must reflect our "inner clothing" on the outside. When we clothe ourselves with Christ, meekness, righteousness, and holiness, start to show. We begin to reflect the one who has given us new life, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  

"But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."  Ephesians 4:20-24

Our Lord Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount:  

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."   Matthew 5:5

We live in a world where gentleness, meekness, simpleness, modesty, humility, longsuffering, and submissiveness are not taught and cultivated.  Notice that among those qualities that Jesus spoke of in His Sermon on the Mount, “meekness” (gentleness) is found.  Jesus portrayed meekness for us when He walked among us.  

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."   Matthew 11:29

"You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  I Peter 5:5

Our Lord and Savior is the best role model of meekness. Moses is another excellent example of someone who modeled meekness.

"Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."  Philippians 2:8

"Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth."  Numbers 12:3

So the question at stake is:  Don't you think that showing off, being prideful and pretentious, is exhausting?  Do we really want to be something or someone that we are not?  Do we want to look like someone full of insecurities, with an outward image that we are not?  Such an outward image does not give rest to the heart and soul.  Only when we are clothed in Christ do we find true rest for our weary soul, rest in His Father's love, sitting at His Son's feet, and harnessed with His yoke on our shoulders.  Our Father has adopted us as His family through His Son's sacrifice. We are sanctified, washed, and justified through His precious blood, baptized for the forgiveness of our sins. 

So, to whom do we have to prove ourselves as worthy, to man or God the Father?  Why worry so much about the outward man?  Why not worry more about the inward man, who must be renewed in His glory and likeness?  

"Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."   I Corinthians 6:11

"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth."  John 17:17

 "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day."   2 Corinthians 4:16

As we clothe ourselves in Christ inwardly, we imitate Him in His likeness.  It starts to show outwardly. Likewise, when we focus on clothing ourselves outwardly, in fleshly ways, we will show the fruits of the flesh, not the ones of the Spirit.  We will tend to be rebellious,  ungodly, unrighteous, vain, conceited, selfish, and arrogant.  Lest we forget, we must not be absorbed in self; instead, we must die to self.  Lest we forget, we must courageously die to the “voyage of self.”

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts."  Romans 13:13

 "But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness."   2 Peter 1:6

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 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."   Galatians 5:16-17

As those who profess godliness, we must clothe ourselves with the right attitude of heart, righteousness, holiness, love, and gentleness.  This means that we must clothe our inner man and be renewed and transformed daily.  In clothing the inner man with the Spirit of Christ, we shine our light to a world of darkness.  We reflect the beauty of Christ in us by the washing, sanctifying, justifying, and renewing of our souls. It is the only way to glorify our Father in heaven. This can only be accomplished by surrendering to our Savior.

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."  Matthew 5:16

Consider the following questions of how we ought to walk before men:  

1. Are we reflecting Christ in our lives by the way we live?  
2. Do we look more like the world on the outside by the way we conduct ourselves with others? 
3. Do we show others an inner man who is changed and renewed in the likeness of God?
4. Do we inspire and encourage others to come to Christ by our godly example?  
5. Or instead, are we stumbling blocks by our bad example?  
6. Do we focus more on Christ by living a life that is worthy of Him?  
7. Do we show gratitude to Him Who made Himself a sacrifice and died that cruel death?  We can only show gratitude by living an upright and blameless life.
8. Does His beauty shine in us outwardly?  Remember, this dark world will not likely see His beauty if they do not see it reflected in us.

We do not want to be like the Pharisees, focused on outward appearances.  They were ostentatious, self-righteous, and completely empty and unclean because of their lawless deeds.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness."  Matthew 23:27

Jesus did not carry Himself as someone showing off, although He was God.  He humbled Himself!  He surrendered to His Father's will.  He knew His reward was in heaven.  Meekness is the opposite of the prevailing human, empty, and vain wisdom.  God's wisdom is the opposite of fleshly wisdom.  His wisdom is contrary to the world's.

"Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.  He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street.  A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth justice in truth."  Isaiah 42:1-3

CONCLUSION:

When Christ clothes our hearts walking in His Spirit, we are no longer slaves of lawlessness but righteousness. When we clothe ourselves with Christ, we reflect His excellencies.  We are clothed in His love, righteousness, and humility.  We adorn ourselves in His holiness, sanctification, righteousness, and mercy.  We adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect (Titus 2:10). Our souls find that peace that surpasses all human understanding.  

"And, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness... For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification."   Romans 6:18-19

"But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity."  Psalm 37:11

May the Lord teach and show us His ways and thoughts.  May our inner man be renewed and regenerated day by day.  May He give us wisdom to reject the vanity of the outward man that decays day by day.  May we strive to be more like Him and not be caught up in the pride and vanity of the world.  May we reflect Him, being clothed with His grace and righteousness.  May we die to ourselves so that we can show His beauty.

"The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel."  Isaiah 29:19

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."  Galatians 3:26-27

"The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked."   I John 2:6

Luci

I'd like to leave you with this beautiful sacred Hymn:

"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less"

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale

My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, and blood

Support me in the whelming flood;

When every earthly prop gives way,

He then is all my Hope and Stay.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in Him be found,

Clothed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne!

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

IS GOD'S VISION OF LIFE ENOUGH FOR US?

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"  

Micah 6:8 

We often feel that our current life is not enough as we look out the window and gaze at things beyond our usual experiences. Our hearts yearn for an idealized version of life, thinking it should be different from what it is. It's as if we believe we should live a different life to find true happiness and satisfaction. This dissatisfaction leaves our hearts feeling discontent and yearning for perfection, which seems unattainable. Instead of longing for the unattainable, we should ask ourselves if this is truly what God wants for us. Will this idealized life bring greater fulfillment as Christians, whose main desire should be to do God's will?


I.   GOD HAS FILLED US FULL!

We live in a world where everyone is striving to attain something. We always strive for something more, as if what we have is not sufficient. We want a better car, a better house, a better spouse, a better church, better brethren, better neighbors, a better job, a better salary, a better way of entertainment or a better way to spend our leisure time, a better (you fill in the blank). Yet we miss all the riches our Father in heaven has placed right before us. We ignore those riches that are the apple of our eyes and hearts. Yes, the people in front of us! They were not given to us by our Father in heaven to take for granted! They were not placed in our lives by accident or because we tried so hard to attain them. These blessings are not our earthly promotions or bonus money. They are gifts from our God in heaven! They have been administered to us to love, care for, and protect.

Nevertheless, we treasure them not at all and act as if they are not enough. We are absolutely ungrateful! Don't forget that God sees and is unhappy with how we administer His riches. When we behave this way, we tell Him, "You are not enough for me."

We often spend our time chasing after an idealized life that exists only in our minds instead of finding contentment in the presence of God, who created the universe and breathed life into us. We must stop and listen to His voice through His Word, which is meant to fill our souls with His riches. We fail to recognize that we dwell in God's presence, where we can be filled with His overflowing grace. Have you considered that this is what God expects of us?

• What Does God Expect of Us?

"When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, O Lord, I shall seek'" (Psalm 27:8).

God desires that his children spend time with Him daily and seek Him diligently with all their hearts, souls, and minds. However, this won't happen instantly, especially if we mistakenly believe that we already give abundantly to God daily. We must surrender our intentions and align them with God's will. Our time should be devoted to Him first, and all our desires and needs should be laid at the feet of our Lord. Our primary purpose should be to continually seek God and treasure His Word. This requires time and effort, which means setting aside anything that hinders us from serving the Lord. We must immerse ourselves in God’s presence daily, loving Him and the people He has placed in our lives. We should open our hearts to recognize and appreciate God's blessings, pausing to acknowledge them and examining our hearts. Doing this will make us realize that the Lord has fulfilled us in every way. When we focus on the past instead of looking forward, we risk missing or taking what is right in front of us for granted.

God has His own dreams and purposes for us. How sad to miss out on them! So, my question is, do we really want to miss out on the life that God has purposed for us? A life designed to bless and prosper us and those He has placed in our lives. Do we want to miss that life because we are too busy dreaming those dreams we have made up for ourselves? Think about that!

1. To love those whom God has placed in front of us is enough!  
2. It is enough to live a simpler life not complicated by the webs of this world's wants that entangle and choke us!  
3. It is enough to spend time alone with our God each day of our walk here on earth, listening to and obeying His voice.  
4. God requires us to purposely choose a different life, a godly life different from those around us, and that should be enough!  
5. We must believe in our hearts that the life that our God has given us is to love and live for others, and this must be enough for us!  

We must not keep adding more and more to our plates. We must not let Satan deceive us into thinking that our lives are boring, simple, meaningless, and hopeless! We must change our way of thinking. We are fooling ourselves if we believe we must do something else to find contentment and joy. This will only add more chaos and deception, making us believe a lie - that our current life has no purpose and is not enough. We must not let Satan and our flesh or the world determine what we do! Instead, we should do God's will and fulfill what He requires.

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"  

Micah 6:8 

CONCLUSION:

As we journey through life, it's important to remember that we don't need to justify our decisions to anyone but God. Our focus must be on walking with Him and seeking His will. God is all we need to navigate this life, and His guidance is enough. Instead of adding unnecessary burdens to our lives, let's align our dreams and intentions with God's purpose rather than worldly desires or pursuits.

God is simple and direct with us. He requires that we act righteously, show mercy, and walk humbly with Him daily. Therefore, we must focus on doing God's will wherever He has placed us. That is enough!

May this way of thinking sink deeply into our hearts. May we commit our lives to the Lord, trusting Him with our hearts and minds. May we, with joyful hearts, do all that He requires of us, which is to do good, do righteousness, love kindness or mercy, and walk humbly with Him all the days of our lives here on earth. Finally, may we humbly allow Him to transform us and teach us all His righteous ways so that we may bear abundant fruit to His glory.

"Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day... Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way"  (Psalm 25:5-9).

"Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday"  (Psalm 37:5-6).

Luci

LIFE OR DEATH? IT IS YOUR CHOICE!

"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

Matthew 7:13-14 

Jesus, in His marvelous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), wants His listeners to choose which path to walk in.  As Jesus ends His sermon, He uses many illustrations to help us choose the right path.  Two choices,  two pathways lie before us.  We must choose wisely. Let us look at the first illustration that Jesus presents.

I.  THE NARROW GATE:  (Matthew 7:13-14)

"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

In Matthew 7:13-14,  Jesus appeals to His listeners throughout this sermon that we choose to become citizens of the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus describes the characteristics of His kingdom.  His first illustration is plain and simple but shocking.  There is a wide gate that many enter, but it leads to destruction and death.  Notice the contrasting pathways that are before us:  one is narrow, and the other is wide. One leads to life, and the other leads to destruction and death. Likewise, He contrasts two groups of people:  the many and the few. Although entering the narrow gate is hard, and few will find it, it is the only path that will lead us to eternal life.  To enter the narrow gate is a matter of life and death.  Jesus was stressing a decision, for there is only one right way that few find,  but there are many false ways that lead to destruction.  So we must understand the narrowness of this gate to life, for Jesus in His sermon stressed the character of those who are genuine citizens in His kingdom.

The narrow gate demands that we deny self, be poor in spirit, mourn over sins, love our enemies, not be angry with our brother, not lust in the heart, turn the other cheek, lay up treasures in heaven, not be anxious about this life, and treat others the way we would have them to treat us:  the golden rule.  The narrow gate that leads to life demands constant effort, striving to enter.  Jesus said about this narrow gate.

"The way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matthew 7:14).  

Jesus, our Lord, declares that the path to righteousness and eternal life is narrow and difficult. Indeed, this path is not easy, and few find it and remain on it until the end! On the other hand, Jesus describes the other path that leads to eternal destruction, which is the path of slavery to sin. The path that leads to destruction is simple and offers many tempting and pleasant things. There is nothing easy about the narrow gate!

The Way of Christ is narrow, hard, and impossible unless we die with Christ. The narrow way leads us to righteousness and holiness. Sadly, many choose the easiest and most popular pathway: the one that is not demanding, does not offend, accepts every form of sin, does not teach the Truth. Truth is narrow and objective. Truth must be our only guide and not man-made religions, traditions, and philosophies.  Following the crowd with their false doctrines will not lead us to eternal life.

God has always demanded that His people make the wise choice to follow Him to receive eternal life. Moses declared to God's people that they had to choose life or death, the blessing, or the curse (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).  Joshua also commanded God's people to choose whom they would serve (Joshua 24:13-15). Elijah, on Mount Carmel, commanded the people to stop waffling between two choices (1 Kings 18:21).  Jeremiah declared,

“Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death'” (Jeremiah 21:8). 

Jesus is commanding us to choose two pathways set before us:  life or death.  One pathway is easy, and many find it, but it leads to destruction and death. The other pathway is hard, and few find it, but it leads to eternal life.

Can you see what Jesus is saying in Matthew 7:13-14?  We must understand what Jesus is saying about the narrow gate being hard to enter, and that few find it. The easy path, the wide gate is easy but leads to our spiritual destruction.  The wide gate leads to anger, lust, judging, not loving others, not forgiving others, and not trusting God.  But the narrow gate leads to the fruits of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23:  love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  The narrow gate leads us to the kingdom of heaven.  Sadly, many don't even try to enter the narrow gate because they are workers of lawlessness.  They want to live as they please without God in the picture and His kingdom of righteousness.  They are happy worshiping, however way they want.  They accept anything but God's Truth.

Indeed, the way to life is not easy, and few find it.  Let that sink deeply into our hearts!  Jesus said that few find the way to life.  God's ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). They are not intuitive or emotional.  God's ways don't follow our hearts or desires.  Those who follow God's ways listen to Jesus' teachings and do them.  The poor in spirit, the pure in heart, the meek and humble, and the ones who hunger and thirst after righteousness are those who are blessed in God’s kingdom of righteousness.   We can see why the crowds were astonished by Jesus' sermon and His teachings.

"And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes" (Matthew 7:28-29). 

What challenging words!

Those who choose the narrow gate build their house on the rock, hear the words of Jesus and do them.  So we must choose the narrow path to life and enter that narrow gate. We must choose to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Jesus says it is foolish to build our life on anything other than His will and authority.  It is foolish to hear His words and not do what He commands that we do!  It matters to Jesus how we live our lives,  how we worship, and how we obey what He teaches. It must matter to us what our Teacher says!  Since our souls are at stake, we must be wise and build our house on the rock!  

So why not walk the narrow way, the path of righteousness rather than the path of sin that leads to the destruction of your soul? Which path are you walking in? Remember that God's narrow path offers freedom, peace, the restoration of your soul, and eternal life. The choice is ours to make!


CONCLUSION:

Which path are we walking in?  God's path or the broad path of the world?  Maybe, we are not aware of which path we are walking. Perhaps, we don't know a better way, a much better path.  The choice is ours to make!

Sadly, many seasoned Christians don't realize the path they are walking in.  Many are not even aware that they are walking the path of this world, the wrong path, the path of sin!  The path of this world, the wide gate that leads to destruction, offers many tempting and pleasant things.  But it leads to the destruction of our souls.  It does not lead to wholeness in Christ.  It makes us slaves to sin (our culture, our desires, material riches, and many things such as these that make us stumble).  The wide gate claims us by our fleshly desires.  This is sad!  Should we live for ourselves and not for Christ?

So why not walk the path of God?  Why refuse to walk the path of righteousness and become slaves to sin?  God's path offers freedom, peace, and the restoration of our souls.  But, walking, God's path must be a daily commitment.   God's path, the narrow gate, demands effort, courage, determination, and commitment or devotion.  God's path compels us to pray daily to Him to help us walk His path and keep us on His path without straying.  We need His Grace to help us walk His path and each step we take.  Thus we must be alert, knowing that our enemy Satan wants to lead us astray and distract us at any cost from God's path of righteousness that enters the narrow gate.  Satan wants us to walk the path of sin, the wide gate, which is the most popular and familiar path traveled.  Don't you think that it is about time that we were wise with God's help and start waking the right path?  

"He restores my soul; He guides me in the path of righteousness for His name's sake"  (Psalm 23:3).

Oh, how I love this verse!   Please note,  

"He restores my soul, He guides me in the paths of righteousness."  

It doesn't say "maybe" He will guide me.  Our God is not capricious!  It says clearly, "He guides me."  He will guide me if I choose to abide in His Truth, being faithful and determined to do His will.  We can rest assured He will not let us down!

It is very difficult to start or restart walking the right path, the path of eternal life when we have been used to walking the wrong path, the unrighteous one.  It is hard to make life changes when they have been corrupted or sinful.  But, there is so much blessing when we walk the path of God, the path of righteousness! When we walk God's path of righteousness, we start acting differently.  We look different from the world. We start shining our light before others, and they notice it!  I promise they will notice it!  We must choose to look different from the world.  Their path doesn't lead to eternal life.  God's path does!

Maybe, the key to our problem is to start slowing down.  Spend more time with our God in studying Scripture, in prayer, more time with our families, and those whom we say we love.  Maybe, we need to be more motivated by spiritual, heavenly things than earthly things.  Maybe, we need to start using our time more wisely and redeem it for God's sake.  Maybe, we need to start thinking differently about the way we entertain ourselves.  A little less TV, internet, social media, hobbies, games, sports, etc.  In other words, we need to start dying to ourselves and live for Christ.  He gives life to us abundantly to bear good fruit for His glory.  It is about time we go back to the ancient pathways of God!

God has never promised that His path will be a bed of roses, an easy one, but neither is the path of this world! Let's not forget, there is a big difference between the path of this world and the path of God.  

"Thou wilt make known to me the path of life, in Thy presence is fullness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever"  (Psalm 16:11).

The world's path can never offer fullness of joy, or pleasures forever.

Walking the Christian path, the righteous one, is not a matter of just being baptized, the forgiveness of our past sins, and a faith that does not act.  It is a matter of walking in newness of life, walking Christ's path.  We must allow Christ to guide all of our steps in every area of our lives.  He commands that we walk in His paths, the paths of righteousness (Proverbs 2:20).

The following are some proverbs to help us walk in the path of God, the path of righteousness (the narrow gate):

"In all your way acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight"  (Proverbs 3:6).

"I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths"  (Proverbs 4:11).

"Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not proceed in the way of evil men"  (Proverbs 4:14).

"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day"  (Proverbs 4:18).

"Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established"  (Proverbs 4:26).

"In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway, there is no death"  (Proverbs 12:28).

May our Lord lead our footsteps each day, leading and guiding our minds, hearts, and souls with wisdom so that we can walk His path of righteousness shining our light before a world of darkness and death.


Luci

WALKING THE MICAH ROAD

"Wherewith shall I come before Jehovah, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old? 7 will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

Micah 6:6-10

The prophet Micah walked among a field of prophets who were giants in world history, powerful and passionate spokesmen for God. The small kingdoms of Israel and Judah were facing a devastating invasion of the Assyrians when Micah warned that God would judge them in His wrath. He held out for them the hope, that if they did what God required of them, His anger would subside. It was simple, “to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God.”

The time of Micah's call is set between 750 to 735 BC.  Jotham, the first king, mentioned by Micah, was described as having a reign that was holy, peaceful, and prosperous (cf.  2 Chronicles 27:2-6).  His son Ahaz, (the second king mentioned by Micah) succeeded him on the throne of Judah.  Ahaz's reign was exactly the opposite of his father, for he was idolatrous to the point of sacrificing his own children to the pagan god, Baal.  Because there was so much idolatry and paganism during his reign, God decided to destroy Judah.  Despite all the efforts of his successor son at reforming, the wrath of God was inevitable.  Isaiah prophesized to Ahaz the virgin birth of the Messiah (Isaiah 7:14).  King Ahaz was Baal's best devotee.  The third king mentioned by Micah was Hezekiah.  He was considered a reformer, for he eagerly attempted to undo the corruption and lawlessness of the idolatry, which his father had spawned.  

Micah’s message fluctuates from oracles of doom to oracles of hope.  He speaks of God's judgment and deliverance.  He cries out against the sins that God hates so much:  idolatry, injustice, and empty formalism.  He also pleads to those who love God, that they repent from the heart and love His Law of righteousness.

I.   THE HEART OF MICAH'S MESSAGE:   (Micah 6:6-8)

"Wherewith shall I come before Jehovah, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old? 7 will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

• “What Doth Jehovah Require of Thee?”

Micah 6:8 presents one of the most valuable insights into understanding the heart of God that is to be found in the Sacred Word. This is one of my all-time favorite Scriptures of the Bible.  No other question demands to be answered more correctly than the one voiced here.  

"What doth Jehovah require of thee?"  

It is one of those classic questions in the Bible that is parallel with that of the Lord.  

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" (Matthew 8:36-37).

And what the Hebrews writer stated.

"Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will" (Hebrews 2:1-4).

God is not unreasonable to insist upon our faithfulness, nor is He wrong to punish unfaithfulness.  God wants His followers, His children, to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with Him.  When one fails to do justly by not keeping God's Law (His commands and precepts), he is disobeying Him. It is an affront to God, for he is mocking God by his defiance.  To love mercy literally means to have pity or compassion.  To have compassion is to place one's self in the sufferer's situation, to suffer with him, feeling sorry for him.  This is what God does for us, and we are to love such mercy!  The love of mercy is driven by the will to love as God loves and not by our own feelings that may or may not be merciful.  It is a love that is sacrificial and deliberately self-giving.  God demands that we love others deliberately.  Without this kind of sacrificial love, our obedience is empty and vain.  In Matthew 23:23 Jesus said,

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These (commandments) you ought to have done, without neglecting the others (justice, mercy, trust)." 

"To walk humbly with thy God" means being steadfast and ready to obey Him and His Lordship in all things. Willing or ready to obey His authority because God is our Lord.  God tries the minds and hearts of men, and He searches our innermost parts (Prov. 20:27; Psalm 139:23).  God searches the hearts of men and understands their plans and thoughts.  Thus, our outward man must always reflect our inner man as both express our obedience and alertness to Him and His Lordship.

We must stress that God has expectations toward us that we must fulfill.  Since the beginning of creation, God has expected or demanded personal responsibility so that we may reverence Him and seek Him for purpose in life.  Adam and Eve failed to meet God's expectations, so He judged them.  Cain failed to accept his responsibility toward God, so God judged him also for his disobedience.  As mankind grew more and more irresponsible, rebellious, and wicked, God's wrath and judgment were brought upon them (Genesis 6).  2 Peter 2:4-9 expresses this concept well.

“For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5 and spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds): 9 the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment.” 

Clearly, one of the most fundamental principles of the Old Testament is personal accountability toward God.  God's will to judge the sinner is still an ongoing warning to those who try to escape their responsibility to obey God and His laws.  Many reject God's revealed expectations creating their own rules.  With this approach, it is impossible to do what God wants us to do.  They ignore God's warning that we all must give an account for what we have done in this life (our behavior) before God. 

“For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). 

“So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

Our God expects obedience to each of His commands, for His Word is the source of our accountability toward Him (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Therefore, on Judgment Day, we must give an account of what we have done.

“This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Eccl. 12:13-14).  

• God Requires That We Do (Act) Justly:

We must heed these words of God.  To act justly or do justice implies all of our dealings with others must be righteous.  Our daily manner of behavior must not show favoritism, prejudice, or self-interest alone.  God demands that we treat others justly, for He deals with us fairly and treats us justly.  God wants us to execute true justice and show mercy and compassion to everyone (Zechariah 7:90).  He loves justice, for to do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to God than sacrifices (Isa. 61:8; Prov. 21:3).  We must let justice run down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream (Amos 5:24).  

In some Bible translations, the word “justly” is replaced by the phrase “do justice” to indicate a responsibility of equality or fairness.  God requires us to do justly in our relationship with Him and one another.  It implies that we must give a person what is due them.  We have been commanded to give every person what is due (Romans 13:7).  Every person in our lives has a right to be treated justly and fairly to create a climate of justice.   To do justice implies the keeping of God's Law, His commands, and ordinances.  Hence, we must give God what is due Him:  honor, reverence, obedience, praise, and worship.  In Micah 6:2-4, the prophet points out that despite all that God had done for His people, Israel turned their back on God.  We must live to give honor and reverence to God despite our troubles and the bad things that happen to us. We must never turn our back on God or turn away from Him (Jeremiah 10:6-7).  

• God Requires That We Love Mercy:

Being merciful means to be kind and compassionate rather than to condemn.  God is the source of all mercy, and He loves to be merciful to His children, not wanting anyone to perish.  To love mercy means to be forgiving toward others; be steadfastly committed to loving mercy.  Even the selfish wish to receive mercy!  He who loves mercy is thankful for God's mercy extended to him.  The merciful one wants to give mercy to others, for he knows that God is merciful and gracious to him and that He demands that we also be merciful.  

When we show mercy to others, we are demonstrating our covenant love for one another.  Loving mercy means being faithful to everyone and reaching out in love to those in need who are suffering.  This mindset of mercy impacts all areas of life.  The very heart of the Law of Moses was to love their neighbors as themselves.  It is still required of us under the Law of Christ, for He showed mercy to us when He died and offered His life as a sacrifice that we might be accepted by His Father.

The Word of God is crystal clear about our need to be merciful (Prov. 11:17; Micah 6:8; Matt. 5:7; Luke 6:36; Colossians 3:12-13 and James 2:8-13).  Our Lord is full of pity and tender mercy (James 5:11).  He has left us the highest example of mercy to follow.  May we always examine our hearts to see if we are acting in full pity and tender mercy even as our Father in heaven.  

You see, God's mercy is a vital component of our salvation (Luke 1:76-79, 1 Peter 1:3; Jude 1:21).  Why?  Because without God's mercy toward us who were once sinners (and you know that we all have sinned in our lives), we would have perished because of our sins.  But God's mercy is conditional because if we transgress against His will and do not repent and ask His forgiveness, we will not receive His mercy.  Hebrews 10:26-31 expresses this sentiment well.  

For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. 28 A man that hath set at nought Moses’ law dieth without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses: 29 of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him that said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  

 Therefore, to be merciful does not imply indulging others in their sins and being compassionate toward others that continue in sin, for they will not receive the mercy of God.  

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?"  (Romans 6:1-2)

In Matthew 5:7 Jesus said,  

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

Here, the word “mercy” is used to imply compassion, pity, and favor toward the suffering and needy (Matt. 9:27; 15:22; 17:15; 18:33; 20:30).  We have this portrayed in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10).  And though no priest or Levite offered assistance to the man who fell among robbers and was severely beaten, a Samaritan did come to his aid.  The Samaritan took him to an inn and paid for his care.  Thus Jesus asked,

“Which of these three, do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” (Luke 10:36).  

Then the lawyer responded,

“The one who showed him mercy”  (Luke 10:37).  

Here mercy is showing compassion, pity, and favor.  Therefore, mercy is not just a feeling, emotion, or sentiment that does nothing.  Mercy is action.  Mercy is genuine compassion that one wants to express to help from the heart with selfless concern and actions.  Those who are in God's kingdom must be givers of mercy.  Mercy must be shown and not felt.  In Matthew 23:23, Jesus calls mercy one of the weightier matters of the Law.

Mercy is not a characteristic of our culture today, nor was it exercised in the first century.  The philosophers of that time called mercy, “the disease of the soul.”  It was a sign of absolute weakness.  The Jews also saw it this way.  That is why Jesus told them in Matt. 5:43-48.  

“Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy: 44 but I say unto you, Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you; 45 that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. 46 For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the Gentiles the same? 48 Ye, therefore, shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  

 We can clearly see that mercy was given to those who had been merciful to them in these cultures.  Our society and culture today is no different from the Roman world of Jesus' day.  Today, our people say the same things:  “If you don't look out for yourself, no one else will.”  “Don't get mad, get even.”  People still behave the same way, treating others like mere objects or things where power is the supreme deity, and financial success and status are the most essential things in life.  How sad!  Today when one shows mercy, he is considered weak.  

But we see our Lord Jesus showing mercy on many occasions.  He was moved with pity and compassion when He looked on people (Matt. 9:36; 14:14; 15:32).  Our Lord showed compassion and love for the lost souls of men.  He showed compassion toward a sinful woman caught in adultery.  We must imitate His attitude of heart and concern for the needs of others.  The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ time failed to show mercy and compassion and hated Jesus for showing it and looked for opportunities to kill Him.  They succeeded when they nailed Him to the cross.  Even while He was hanging on the cross with His hands nailed to it, Jesus still showed mercy when He said, 

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).   

 We can see an obvious contrast between mercy and forgiveness.  Our Lord's mercy is the basis of His forgiveness.

“But according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior”  (Titus 3:5-6).  

Mercy was fundamental for God's forgiveness to be extended because His forgiveness flows from His bountiful mercy.  God is the Father of mercy (2 Cor. 1:3).  Hence, His children must be full of mercy as God is (James 3:17).  They must love mercy and delight in giving it (Rom. 12:8).  Mercy is a trait that defines God (2 Samuel 24:14; Daniel 9:9; Exodus 34:68; 2 Chr. 30:9).  Mercy must also be a trait that defines Christians (Luke 6:36; Matt. 5:48; James 5:11).  Thus our new temple must have a “mercy seat” in its very own heart (Matt. 5:48; Hebrews 8:10; Eph. 6:6).  And though mercy is a “weighty” matter, it is possible to downgrade it to a “minor” matter (Matt. 23:23).  It is “weighty” because mercy is a part of the very character of God.  Mercy makes one slower to anger and ready to pardon (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 103:8).  Kindness is mercy (Psalm 117:2).  

So being merciful does not imply that one is flippant about the Truth nor that one stops doing what pleases God.  It is not an open door to do what we want and like (1 Thess. 2:4).  Mercy must not be misunderstood, for it does not mean that sin is ignored.  And though our God is merciful toward us, that does not mean that He will ignore or overlook our sins, for mercy acknowledges the reality of sin and wrongdoing.  Jesus never showed mercy and pretended that people were not sinning, rather He convicted them of their sins.  He was merciful when He pointed out their sins and gave them hope of forgiveness through His own blood.  God's mercy points out our sins and then shows us the way of reconciliation with God.  Mercy does good to others, even in the face of opposition, lawlessness, or wickedness.  Mercy means being patient and longsuffering toward those who are not able to see things as clearly as we do (Romans 14) rather than debating and saying unkind words.  

Indeed, mercy is a difficult challenge, but we must develop it in our character.  Mercy makes one's self vulnerable.  It allows us to be hurt.  It extends self to help others without expecting anything in return.  Mercy praises the very heart of God and is not earned.  Mercy is no longer mercy if it is deserved, for it is compassion that is undeserved.  The merciful in heart show compassion even when the other person does not deserve it.  We must extend mercy to show the character of God in our lives.  We must show mercy even when others sin against us.  We must expend ourselves to help others and show mercy to them.  God wants His children to be merciful to others, for He will only show mercy to the merciful.

“For judgment is without mercy to him that hath showed no mercy: mercy glorieth against judgment”  (James 2:13). 

1. How many times do we fail to show mercy to others when we think they should have never put themselves in the mess they're in?  
2. How many times do we say that they're getting what they deserve?  But how terrible it is for us to demand mercy from others when we fail to give or show mercy to them just because we think they don't deserve it!  
3. Do we expect God to be merciful toward us and give us what we deserve?  
4. Do we expect to get what we deserve for how we have treated God?  
5. Are you not aware that God's mercy must compel us to be gracious, kind, compassionate, and merciful toward others?  
6. Why not allow God's mercy to transform your heart, that you might be more merciful toward others?  Think about this! 

• God Requires That We Walk Humbly With Him:

This third requirement of God is the one I love the most, for it reminds me that I must walk worthy of Him who called me into His kingdom of glory in a holy, righteous, and blameless manner.   So how can one walk humbly with Him?

1. Walking humbly with Him compels us to seek those things and set our mind on those things that are above where Christ and His Father are (Col. 3:1-4).  
2. Walking humbly with God is to allow Him to direct my steps with a humble and open heart, for God is the one who defines the Way for us.  He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one can come to the Father except through Jesus, our Lord. 
3. Walking humbly with Him is to walk according to His commandments and precepts.

Indeed, a humble heart is vital to walking with Him in the same way in which He walked, for it is the only way to obey and love His Word and abide in Him.   Walking in darkness is not walking in a manner worthy of Him, for only a humble heart can walk in the Light as He is in the Light.  The humble or lowly in heart are the ones who can walk with Him to please Him as they do His will in all things.  Walking humbly with God regards others as more worthy than self, for it is always looking to the interests of others.  Therefore, walking humbly with Him is to have the mind of Christ in us. 

“Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  

 You see, the people of Israel wanted to buy off God through their sacrifices so they could continue living in sin.  But Micah had to tell them what God wanted them to do to please Him:  to walk humbly with God.  A life that is not lived and devoted to serving Christ and His kingdom in holiness and righteousness is a hypocritical life.  Walking with God is a daily walk.  Micah lived in a world of wickedness and lawlessness like our world today.  The people of Micah's time spent their time devising iniquity and planning evil (Micah 2:1-2).   They were living in pure darkness and ungodliness rather than striving to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him.

Walking humbly with God is to hate evil and have nothing to do with it.  Our walk is our walk of life.  To walk with God implies that we love and walk in all His ways to be in daily fellowship with Him.  To walk in all His ways requires knowledge and discernment of His Word and a willingness or readiness to do what He commands us to do.  To walk with God demands that we humbly follow His leadership and lordship, for to walk and commune with Him, we must be humble and not exalt ourselves.  A humble person accepts that he is inferior to others, especially to God.  A humble person who wants to walk with God accepts that his ways and thoughts are not the same as God's, for God's ways and thoughts are higher than the heavens and the earth.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts"  (Isaiah 55:8-9).

It is the only way to walk humbly with our God and make it to the gates of heaven.  Enoch is our best example of one who walked humbly with God, for he was a righteous man (Genesis 5:24; 6:8; Heb. 11:5).  Another one who walked with God was Noah, for he was a blameless and righteous man (Genesis 6:9).  

As we humbly walk with God, we learn to trust His guidance and leadership, for He is directing our paths and knows what is the best way for us to follow, for all His paths are merciful and truthful.  God guides the humble into righteousness and teaches him His way.  He will take pleasure and delight in the humble of heart, for He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.  Jesus, our Lord, is our best example, for He showed us how to be just, merciful and humble.  He brought justice to victory!  

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and [n]anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel!  25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also.  27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.  29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, 30 and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?"  (Matthew 23:23-33).  

In Matthew 23:23-33, Jesus confronted the Pharisees of His time with their hypocrisy as they arbitrarily placed their religious duties above the practical principles of righteousness of God's Law.  To walk humbly with God is to live by faith, for a humble faith is always ready and willing to obey God and His commands without giving any excuses or rationalizations.  A humble faith does not seek to justify self but rather bows itself down for others to see Christ.  The Gospel defines the perfect way to walk blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

CONCLUSION:

Chapters 6 and 7 of Micah comprise a series of lamentations, warnings, and condemnations against the people of Israel and Judah.  Their sins lead to the wrath or judgments of God upon them. Here again, we must note that these warnings can apply to us as well.  The judgments or sentences pronounced against the northern and southern kingdoms were harsh.  God called Micah to set their sins before them.  Micah connects the final part of his prophecy to the first.  God's judgment against the leaders of the nation was manifested before all people and nations in the beginning.  Now toward the end, God's fairness, the righteousness of His complaints against them, is openly seen of all.  God's fairness (goodness), justice, or equity in His judgments will be pleaded, and sinners will be forced to confess that God's ways and judgments are all righteous and fair.

"The voice of Jehovah crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom will see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. 10 Are there yet treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and a scant measure that is abominable? 11 Shall I be pure with wicked balances, and with a bag of deceitful weights? 12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. 13 Therefore I also have smitten thee with a grievous wound; I have made thee desolate because of thy sins... "  (Micah 6:9-7:6)

In Micah 6:9-7:6, God makes His complaints and accusations toward them whom He will judge, for they have broken the Law.  They have sinned against His love and His Law.  You see, it was the Law given through Moses and the Levitical Priesthood (instituted in Aaron) that turned them into a nation.  The violation of that same Law caused God's heartbreak and the need for Him to judge them.  The Law detailed many requirements, such as the law of Sabbaths, and the laws of sacrifices.  The sum and substance of such requirements were that God's worshippers have to live justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with their God.  Thus, failure to obey these commandments caused them to fail in the most fundamental principles of the Law:  to act justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. 

To do justly, love, and walk humbly with God are also reflected in the Gospel of Christ.  God wants us to act or do justly, for He wants us to judge with righteous judgment and not according to appearance (John 7:2).  He demands that we be merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful (Luke 6:36).  Moreover, He requires that we walk humbly with Him.  In Philippians 2:5-8, the apostle Paul encourages us to have Christ in us.

“Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

To act justly and be merciful is vital to walk humbly with God.  

Therefore, let us choose to walk humbly with our God that we might save our souls and be with Him for all eternity.  Jesus is inviting all people saying, 

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”  (Matt. 11:28-29). 

He is a loving, merciful, and longsuffering God who is moved with compassion toward us, not wanting that any soul should perish, but come to repentance (2 Peter 3:8-9).  

God wants His children to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with Him.  When one fails to do justly by not keeping God's Law (His commands and precepts), he is disobeying Him. It is an affront to God, for he is mocking God by his defiance.   When one serves God faithfully, walking humbly with God like Micah, Joshua, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and many other heroes of the faith, we can rest assured that our faith will be unshaken even amid apostasy and a faithless and lawless generation.  

The Truth is narrow, and error is broad and ever on the throne.  With such an imbalance between Truth and error, light and darkness, the wicked always seem to boast, scoff, and rejoice when they upset God's people.  Their joy is evil and empty and destined to be brief, for God Almighty will silence them and put them to shame (Romans 8:31-39).

Therefore, let us praise our Jehovah God for His great glory, His readiness, and willingness to forgive and His faithfulness to His promises.  And though He is just and does punish those who disobey Him, He delights in lovingkindness.

May we humbly understand the heart of God found in His Sacred Word.  May we humbly obey what our God requires and demands of each one of us, which is to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him.  May we always walk humbly with our Lord that we might be able to be faithful to His commands, precepts, and statues, obeying Christ's Law.  

Luci