Everlasting Faithfulness

Readings for today: Micah 5-7

I grew up going to church every Sunday. I said the creeds. Prayed the prayers. Sang the songs. My mom was a music teacher and she instilled in all of us a great love for music, especially the music of the church. My brothers and I all participated in choir and we learned the great hymns. One of my favorites growing up was a hymn titled, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” More upbeat than most, the chorus goes like this. “Leaning, leaning; Safe and secure from all alarms! Leaning, leaning; Leaning on the everlasting arms.” Though I did not come to faith until college, I’ve always experienced God as a comforting presence. Mainly because of songs like this one that declare His nature and character. Even though I was not a believer, God was instilling in me through the music, prayers, creeds, and sermons I heard a deep understanding of who He is. Building a bridge to my heart that I would later walk across at CU.  

I love how Micah concludes his prophetic work. “Who is a God like you, forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not hold on to his anger forever because he delights in faithful love. He will again have compassion on us; he will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah‬ ‭7‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭CSB‬‬) In this passage we hear echoes of the great epiphany of Moses from Exodus 34 where God literally appears and reveals His divine nature and character to His people. "The Lord, the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus‬ ‭34‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Throughout their history. Thousands upon thousands of years. Israel leaned on the everlasting arms of their God. They trusted in His forgiveness and grace. They experienced His deep, loyal, steadfast love. They rejoiced in His great compassion. Every week when they would gather for worship, they sang. They prayed. They declared the glory of God. And they passed on their faith to each successive generation. 

Why is worship so important? Why is reading Scripture every day so important? Why is coming before Christ on a regular basis so crucial for our faith? Because we need to be reminded of God’s great faithfulness. We need to be reminded of His great love and compassion. His mercy and grace. His forgiveness. We need to be reminded in the midst of judgment that while “weeping may tarry for a night, joy comes in the morning.”(Psalm 30:5b) We need to be reminded that while God will not be mocked and will by no means clear those who are guilty of sin, He will not remain angry with us forever. “For His anger is fleeting but His favor lasts a lifetime.”(Psalm 30:5a) We need to be reminded that God knows our weakness and has provided a way for us to salvation. “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times…He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.” (Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬, ‭4‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

I don’t know what you might be facing today. The challenges. The crises. The difficulties. Maybe it’s a health issue. Maybe it’s a family issue. Maybe it’s a job issue. Maybe you’re staring at an uncertain future. Maybe you’ve made a huge mistake and you’re paying the price. Let me encourage you to lean on the everlasting arms of Jesus! Trust Him. Believe in Him. Place your faith in Him to carry you through! Maybe things are going well for you. Life is blessed. Success seems to follow you wherever you go. Your kids are doing great. Your career is on the upward swing. You’re surrounded by people who love you. Praise Jesus! Thank Him for His great faithfulness. Rejoice in His favor. Share it with others. God is the same yesterday, today and forever, friends. (Hebrews 13:8) There is no shadow or turning with Him. (James 1:17) Believe Him for your life today!

Readings for tomorrow: 2 Kings 16-17, 2 Chronicles 28

Intervention

Readings for today: Micah 1-4

I often get asked the question, “Why doesn’t God intervene?” Why didn’t God intervene and save the children in the floods in Texas? Why doesn’t God intervene and save the innocent in places like Ukraine and Gaza? Why doesn’t God intervene and stop injustice and oppression and violence in our world? Why didn’t God intervene in my own life when I experienced trauma or abuse or pain or suffering? These are really important questions. Not to be dismissed.

At the same time, whenever I field these questions, I immediately think of a famous C.S. Lewis quote. (Remember C.S. Lewis lived and taught during the Great Depression and Second World War.) He writes, “I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realize what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else - something it never entered your head to conceive - comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it.”

This is the kind of intervention the prophet Micah refers to when he talks about the Lord “leaving his place and coming down to trample the heights of the earth. The mountains will melt beneath him, and the valleys will split apart, like wax near a fire, like water cascading down a mountainside.” (Micah‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭CSB‬‬) It is God coming to earth with overwhelming force. God coming to earth to put an end to evil once and for all. God coming to earth to bring justice and righteousness. It will not be selective. It will not be partial. It will not be only for those with whom we disagree. When His judgment comes, it comes for us all. When His judgment comes, none of us will be able to stand. Every knee will bow under heaven and on earth and under the earth. Every tongue will confess He is Lord whether we have believed or not. All of creation will acknowledge His authority and it will be the end of the world as we know it.

Both Micah and Lewis point us to even more fundamental questions. Are we on the Lord’s side? I think of the recent political debates in my own country and how both parties attempt to co-opt God as if He were on their side. Both parties twist the Word of God to support their own political and social agenda. Both sides pray for God to intervene and stop their opponents. But if God were to truly intervene, both parties would find themselves on their faces before the judgment throne for both parties are corrupt and God doesn’t grade on a curve. Do we believe in the Lord? Do we truly trust Him? I think of so many people I know who proclaim to be Christians with their lips but deny Him in the way they live their lives. They try to have a foot in God’s world and our world. They are what the Bible calls “double-minded” in that they want it both ways. They want the safety and assurance of salvation but they want to live life on their own terms. It simply doesn’t work that way. Do we love the Lord? With all our heart, soul, mind, and strength? None of us can answer this in the affirmative. Not completely. But what we can discern is whether we are growing in our love for Him in all these spheres. Are we seeking Him? Are we pursuing Him? Are we surrendering more and more of our lives to Him? This we can answer in the affirmative if we are walking in the Spirit.

Readings for tomorrow: Micah 5-7

Mother’s Day

Readings for today: Micah 5-7, Psalms 131

Sunday was Mother’s Day in the United States. A day set aside to honor mothers and their influence in our lives. Perhaps that’s why the words from the Psalmist stuck out to me this morning. “Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like a weaned child.” (Psalms‬ ‭131‬:‭2‬ ‭CSB) Like many, I have been blessed with a strong, godly mother. My mom taught me how to pray. My mom taught me how to sing. My mom taught me the importance of worship. My mom was a strong influence in my life. She worked hard to raise three boys, sacrificing so much so to give us opportunities to succeed. My mom is an example of deep faith. Though she has suffered much over the years, her faith in Christ has only become more vibrant and powerful. My mom was a safe person for me as I grew up. She was tender-hearted and compassionate, always ready to listen. My mom was faithful. She never abandoned her responsibilities as a wife or as a parent. She has given so much of herself to our family over the years.

I credit my mom for my faith. Even before I became a Christian in college, I developed a comfort level with God. I sensed His abiding presence. I knew He was always there for me. God was a safe Person for me. I had no trouble “calming and quieting” my soul before Him like a “weaned child with its mother.” I honestly don’t remember a time when He wasn’t real to me on a deep, personal level. God has always been my present help in time of trouble. God has always been my refuge and strength. God has always been my sanctuary. I can remember as a young person stealing into the sanctuary of our church because of how peaceful it felt. I would often sit there in the dark by myself because it felt so safe and secure. I felt more at home there than any other place I’d been. Most of that is due to my mom’s godly influence in my life.

I know not everyone has had the benefit of a strong, godly mother. Tragically, some moms are abusive. Some moms are absent. Some moms are neglectful. Some moms are selfish and narcissistic. Some don’t know their moms. Some have been abandoned by their moms. Some have been deeply hurt by their moms. I’ve sat with many, many people over the years who struggle with their moms for all kinds of reasons. They are not good. They are not safe. They are not a comfort. So ideas like the one proposed by the Psalmist are scary. They create all kinds of anxiety and fear. And these feelings often get projected onto God. But God is greater than even the godliest mother on earth. He is kinder and gentler and more compassionate than we can possibly know. He is safe and secure and He invites you to calm and quiet yourself in His abiding Presence. God wants the same kind of relationship with you that a weaned child has with its mother. He invites you to know Him and to love Him like a weaned child does its mother. No matter what kind of relationship you have with your mom, let the Lord “mother” you today and every day with His deep love and grace.

Readings for tomorrow: Nahum 1-3, Psalms 132

The World to Come

Readings for today: Micah 1-4, Psalms 130

I can’t wait for the day when Jesus Christ comes again. The heavens will role back like a scroll. Christ will appear in His resurrection body with all the saints who have gone before us. New Jerusalem will descend out of heaven and be established on earth. The reign and rule of Christ will be absolute and eternal. The influence of the devil and his demons destroyed once and for all. Sin will be erased. Pain and suffering will cease. Every tear will be wiped away. All fears and anxieties will fade. Nothing will be left to disturb the Pax Christi or perfect peace of Christ.

On that day, we will see people from every tribe, tongue, and nation on earth and throughout history gathered around the throne. I can see them even now in my mind’s eye. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of meeting men and women from the Tigray, Amhara, Oromo, Somali, and Borana tribes in Ethiopia. I have met men and women from the Acholi and Baganda tribes in Uganda. I have met men and women from the Dinka and Nuer tribes in South Sudan. I have met men and women from China and Japan and Korea. I have met men and women from Mexico and Guatemala and Venezuela. I have met men and women from England, Scotland, Germany, and France. I have met Greeks and Italians and Turks and Israelis and Palestinians. I have had the privilege of meeting so many different people from so many different cultures and I cannot wait to see them all streaming towards the mountain of God to worship together. I cannot wait to see them unified under the Lordship of Jesus Christ across all the divisions that exist. I cannot wait for the day when the conflicts and wars between all these different groups cease. When the violence and hatred and anger is washed away. When every wrong is made right. Every wound is healed. Every sin is forgiven. Perhaps that’s why I love the vision from the prophet Micah today…

“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. Peoples will stream to it, and many nations will come and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways so we may walk in his paths.” For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will settle disputes among many peoples and provide arbitration for strong nations that are far away. They will beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war. But each person will sit under his grapevine and under his fig tree with no one to frighten him. For the mouth of the Lord of Armies has spoken. Though all the peoples walk in the name of their own gods, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. On that day — this is the Lord’s declaration — I will assemble the lame and gather the scattered, those I have injured. I will make the lame into a remnant, those far removed into a strong nation. Then the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time on and forever. And you, watchtower for the flock, fortified hill of Daughter Zion, the former rule will come to you; sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.” (Micah‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭CSB)

As I said, I can’t wait for that day. I pray for that day. Lord Jesus, come quickly. Lord Jesus, come soon. And until that day comes, Lord Jesus, make me an instrument of your peace. Make me an instrument of your love. Make me an instrument of your grace so this world might get a foretaste of the world to come.

Readings for tomorrow: Micah 5-7, Psalms 131

The Cry for Justice

Readings for today: Micah 5-7

“But He’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously.” (Micah‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

There may not be a better verse for our time. Our nation is crying out for justice. Our world stands in desperate need of compassion and kindness. And humility before God is the key to it all. The people Micah was speaking to were going through all the right motions. They were bringing all the right sacrifices. Saying all the right prayers. Outwardly bowing before God in reverence. But God saw the hypocrisy of their hearts. He saw how their pious words didn’t match up with their actions. He saw the lack of integrity and the dis-integration of their lives. And they fell under His righteous judgment.

We have a choice, you see. Either we will do justice or God will. Either we will follow God’s ways and walk in obedience to God’s commands and live the lives He has created us to live or He will judge us for our sins. Friends, our sin impacts the world around us. It may be the people we live with. It may be the neighbors next door. The classmates at school. Co-workers at the office. Even people on the other side of the globe. Every word we say has a chance to give or take life. Every dollar we spend has a chance to help or hurt. Every vote we cast is a chance to bring God’s Kingdom a little closer or drive it further away. Every minute of every day is an opportunity to make an eternal difference in this world. Don’t buy it? Google a few of the studies on the negative impact of social media on mental health. Now scroll through your posts from the last week. Are your contributions life-giving or life-stealing? Take a look at your budget or your online check register. Where are your dollars primarily going? Yes, we all have bills to pay. But what about the disposable income? Who’s getting the lion’s share? Most American Christians are giving less now than they did during the Great Depression. And what about churches? What do they do with the dollars they receive? How many of them actually take those dollars and deploy them locally and globally to make a difference for the gospel? According to surveys by groups like Christianity Today, most churches only give around 5% to missions outside their doors. Consider your voting record. Do you carefully consider the policy platform of the candidates you vote for or do you simply vote down the party line? Are you an advocate for policies that reflect God’s justice and mercy? Remember, God has entrusted the “dominion” of this world into our hands as human beings. He expects us to pursue justice in alignment with His will so that all creation can flourish under His divine love and care.

Of course, the temptation is to try to bring justice about in our own wisdom and strength. We see this happen all the time. We want God’s Kingdom without the King. Look at some of the public policies being proposed when it comes to the environment, policing, education, social policy, economic reform, etc. If you take a step back and think about it from a biblical perspective these policies sound a lot like heaven. Equal treatment for all. Equal justice for all. Equal access for all. Resource-sharing for all. No one left behind. Creation care. No need for any police. Surely all of us can affirm the hopes and dreams behind these aims? But the human heart is deeply corrupt so even our best intentions get derailed by selfishness and greed. The best policy formations create opportunities for the less scrupulous among us who take advantage of loopholes to abuse the system. We just can’t win for losing which is why we must turn to God. Only He can reform the human heart. Only He can reform the broken human systems of our world.

Thankfully, that’s just what God promises to do! If we humbly walk before God. If we commit ourselves to love kindness and mercy. If we passionately pursue justice. God will hear us and forgive us and heal our land. Listen to how Micah ends his prophecy…“Where is the god who can compare with you— wiping the slate clean of guilt, turning a blind eye, a deaf ear, to the past sins of your purged and precious people? You don’t nurse your anger and don’t stay angry long, for mercy is your specialty. That’s what you love most. And compassion is on its way to us. You’ll stamp out our wrongdoing. You’ll sink our sins to the bottom of the ocean. You’ll stay true to your word to Father Jacob and continue the compassion you showed Grandfather Abraham— Everything you promised our ancestors from a long time ago.” (Micah‬ ‭7‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭MSG‬‬) How amazing is our God? His love is steadfast! His faithfulness never ends! His mercies are new every morning! He is our only hope in this world and the world to come.

Readings for tomorrow: 2 Kings 16-17, 2 Chronicles 28

Jesus’ Way is Better

Readings for today: Micah 1-4

Everyday I try to read the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. I read Time Magazine and skim the headlines from CNN, FoxNews, and the BBC. I scroll through social media feeds on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. My goal in all this is not to punish myself or to get down or discouraged though I have to process those feelings constantly. No, the goal is to get in touch with real people and their real hopes and dreams, fears and anxieties, pain and suffering. I want to know and understand what’s driving our world to ruin and why we choose this path over and over again. As I’ve pondered these questions and many more, the only conclusion I can come to is the one arrived at by an ancient prophet as he surveyed the world around him.

“All the other people live however they wish, picking and choosing their gods. But we live honoring God, and we’re loyal to our God forever and ever.” (Micah 4:5 MSG) Micah clearly perceives the contrast between living for God and living for gods. He understands the true cost of idolatry. The death and destruction and despair it invites. He sees the helplessness and hopelessness of a people who live however they wish and who make up their own gods to justify their self-destructive decisions. I see it all the time myself. Every decision every person makes in their life for good or for ill seems rational to them in the moment. Human beings don’t make irrational decisions by and large. We make decisions that we believe are best for us even when we are self-deceived. The people Micah is called to prophesy to have chosen to go their own way. Do what is right in their own eyes. They try to make sense of their world by picking and choosing the pagan gods they will follow. Not much has changed. People in our world make similar decisions. They follow similar desires. They try to make sense of their world by picking and choosing the pagan gods of money, sex, power, addiction, you name it. And where does it all lead? To destruction. To self-inflicted pain and suffering. Isolation and loneliness. Heartache and heartbreak.

Thankfully God will not abandon His people. Not in Micah’s day. Not in our day. There is a time coming, according to Micah, when all things will be made new. The world will be set right. Every tear will be wiped away. Peace will break out. Justice will become the rule rather than the exception. Listen to how he describes it from Micah 4:1-4, 6-8, “But when all is said and done, God’s Temple on the mountain, Firmly fixed, will dominate all mountains, towering above surrounding hills. People will stream to it and many nations set out for it, Saying, “Come, let’s climb God’s mountain. Let’s go to the Temple of Jacob’s God. He will teach us how to live. We’ll know how to live God’s way.” True teaching will issue from Zion, God’s revelation from Jerusalem. He’ll establish justice in the rabble of nations and settle disputes in faraway places. They’ll trade in their swords for shovels, their spears for rakes and hoes. Nations will quit fighting each other, quit learning how to kill one another. Each man will sit under his own shade tree, each woman in safety will tend her own garden. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so, and he means what he says…On that great day,” God says, “I will round up all the hurt and homeless, everyone I have bruised or banished. I will transform the battered into a company of the elite. I will make a strong nation out of the long lost, A showcase exhibit of God’s rule in action, as I rule from Mount Zion, from here to eternity. “And you stragglers around Jerusalem, eking out a living in shantytowns: The glory that once was will be again. Jerusalem’s daughter will be the kingdom center.”

The glory that once was will be again. There was a time when human beings lived in glory. We walked in glory. We loved in glory. At the dawn of creation, when God saw everything and it was good, humanity tilled a garden. We were naked and unashamed. We lived in complete freedom, complete peace, and complete transparency before the Lord and before each other. The echo of this existence still haunts us to this day. We all have a longing deep inside to return to Eden. To recapture the glory that was once our own. God’s promise is that we will see that day again if we turn to Him. And He reveals the fulfillment of that promise in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ. The One in whom the fullness of God’s glory dwells. And when we place our faith in Jesus, the Spirit comes to reside in us, filling us with His glory once again. This is why the Apostle Paul says, “God has chosen to make known to His saints the glorious riches of this mystery which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:27)

Readings for tomorrow: Micah 5-7