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Justice, Mercy, & Humility
from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager
He has shown you, O
mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and
to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).
To those connected to GEMS, to read or hear Micah 6:8 brings thoughts of club.
The first time I recited the club aim was in second grade in the basement of my
childhood church. When asked what the Lord required of us I joined another
generation of girls and women who said, “To
act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God. Micah
6:8” And the “doer” part of me got super glued to a checklist. Act justly.
Check. Love mercy. Check. Walk humbly with God. Check.
And in the reciting and trying to do what God required, I missed Christ.
Instead of first asking myself, “What does this verse show me about God?” I got
it backwards and made it about me. My lone question was, “What am I supposed to
do?” At a tender age I got snagged on doing. Rules trumped the relationship God
desired.
Ironically, this mirrors the warning Micah gave to Israel and Judah! Will the Lord be pleased with
thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my
firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? (Micah 6:7)
Then comes verse 8. Within the verse we know by heart is the
message God wants our hearts to really
hear! Religious activity detached from a humble heart that seeks to
present an accurate reflection of God’s justice and mercy is really no religion
at all. Jesus reiterated the warning, “Woe
to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of
your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important
matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced
the latter, without neglecting the former” (Matthew 23:23). More people getting it
backwards!
Micah 6:8 is not the gospel, a checklist, or an entry fee to God. First it
shows us Christ and then by His grace compels us to follow in His steps!
Because Jesus brought justice through to victory, by His grace we act justly.
Because Jesus loves to love us, by His grace we love God and people. Because
Jesus humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death on a cross, by His grace we
humbly obey our Savior and Lord!
What’s your story? In
Micah Jesus is Justice, Mercy, & Humility (Micah 6:8).
How does His Story help you tell your story?
Get in the Book: Read
the book of Micah.
Loving justice and mercy
reflects God’s own character. Choosing humility acknowledges and displays His
supremacy. — Mark Dever
Mighty Savior
from Lenea, GEMS Training Manager
But on Mount Zion will
be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance. Obadiah 17
From the very beginning Esau and Jacob struggled. It began in the womb and
continued to Edom’s doom promised within the book of Obadiah (Genesis 25:23, Obadiah). Edom (descendants of
Esau) would be destroyed for their treatment of Israel (descendants of Jacob).
When Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 586 BC not only did Edom fail to help his
brother, he applauded Jacob’s downfall! Remember
Lord, what the Edmomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they
cried, “tear it down to its foundations!” (Psalm 137:7) While Israel was carried into
captivity, Edom stood aloof on the sidelines. He gloated over Israel’s
destruction, looted his city, and aided his enemies.
Edom was arrogant. He put his confidence in his natural defenses—his home on the heights—rather
then trusting in God (v. 3). He defied God and his ending was sure! “Esau will be stubble . . . There
will be no survivors from Esau,” The Lord has spoken (v. 18).
But for Israel, a Mighty Savior was coming! King Jesus would deliver His
people! But on Mount
Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his
inheritance. The kingdom will be the Lord’s (v. 17, 21).
Whether Jacob and Esau chose to acknowledge their need or not, they were both
desperate for a Savior. So are we.
At one time we too were
foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and
pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But
when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because
of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy (Titus 3:3-5).
Jesus is our Mighty Savior! Because of His kindness, love, and mercy He saves
us from guilt, the power of sin, and eternal death. He delivers us from
strongholds of addictions, bitterness, insecurity, and more. He rescues us from
the pit and sets us free!
If that’s your story, will you choose to share it? It is cruel to stand aloof
on the sidelines and gloat over the destruction of others. We all need a
Rescuer who is mighty to save!
What’s your story? In
Obadiah Jesus is the Mighty Savior (Obadiah 17). How does His Story help you tell
your story?
Get in the Book: Read
the book of Obadiah.
Savior He can move the
mountains. My God is mighty to save. He is mighty to save! –Hillsong
United, “Mighty To Save”
all is grace,
Lenae
Giver of the Holy Spirit
from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager
Even on my servants,
both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. Joel 2:29
It could be worse.
Ever sought comfort or perspective with those words? Your pit is deep, your day
is hard, but it could be
worse.
Within the first verses of Joel’s short book, he implores the people to
remember a time when it was worse (1:2). They couldn’t. They were in the worst of
the worse!
They had trouble today. An army of locusts stripped and devastated the land.
And more trouble was on the way. A human army with forces beyond number was
close at hand. The day
of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it? (2:11)
In His righteous judgment, God gets to the heart of the matter—our hearts! “Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend
your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is
gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents
from sending calamity (2:12-13).
Is He calling you and me to do the same today? Return. Repent. Rend. Not with
behavior modification, but a true repentance that comes from within.
To those who repent, listen to God’s great promise! “I will pour out my Spirit on all people” (2:28). In Joel we see Jesus! Jesus is the
Giver of the Holy Spirit. He is the Advocate Jesus promised to send to us from
the Father (John 15:26). True to His word, on Pentecost,
He did just that! (Acts 2:17-21, 41)
You need comfort or perspective in your pits and on your hard days? You need
power and perseverance to write a good story that points to Jesus? Think on
truth! The power that raised Jesus from the dead has been poured into you! The
Holy Spirit’s eternal presence is within you applying the work of Christ into
your life. He is your Encourager, Teacher, Helper, Strength, Advocate,
Counselor, Truth, and Guide. (Plus He’s more! Look in The Book!) He fills our hearts, shapes our
desires, renews our minds, and shows us Christ.
What’s your story? In
Joel Jesus is the Giver of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29). How does His Story help you
tell your story?
Get in the Book: Read
the book of Joel.
You have all of the Holy
Spirit. Does He have all of you? — Anne Graham Lotz
The Everlasting God
from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager
His dominion is an
everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will
never be destroyed. Daniel 7:14b
My sister’s latest adoption update contained another change in the process.
Things are in flux, and this one was huge. As she asked for prayers for
patience and perseverance, she shared what a good friend had recently said to
her about a completely different situation: “Change is hard. God is Sovereign.”
My sister believes that. Her prayer is to embrace it.
Daniel knew change. As a teen he was carried into captivity to Babylon and
spent the next 70 plus years serving four different kings—Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar,
Darius, and Cyrus. Not only did the kings change, the kingdoms did, too. Note
the irony when the queen enters Belshazzar’s banquet hall after fingers of a
human hand wrote on the wall. She says, “O king, live forever!” Yet on that
very night King Belshazzar was slain and the Medes took over the kingdom! (Daniel 5)
The fulfillment of what God made known to King Nebuchadnezzar through a dream
about a large statue had begun. (Daniel 2) And the hope God promised in
Daniel’s interpretation of that dream continues to bring peace and assurance. “In the time of those kings, the
God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it
be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to
an end, but it will itself endure forever” (Daniel 2:44).
Jesus is The Everlasting God who reigns forever! He is the Anointed One who
rules and sustains all! His
kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to
generation (Daniel 4:3b). Though circumstances change, He
does not. He is on the throne actively ruling, sustaining, leading, and
guiding.
You may question that if today’s circumstances feel like you’ve been exiled to
a foreign country, are walking through a fiery furnace, or have been thrown
into a pit of lions. (Daniel 1, 3, 6) Take heart! The deliverances
we see in Daniel’s story are ours in Christ. By His grace He delivers today and
will deliver for eternity!
What’s your story? In
Daniel Jesus is The Everlasting God (Daniel 7:14). How does His Story help you tell
your story?
Get in the Book: Read
the book of Daniel.
I confess that God’s
delivering power is mine! He has rescued me before; He will rescue me now; and
He will rescue me when I need His power again in the future. — Rick
Renner
