There is a great question near the end of the book of Micah: “Who is a God like you…?” The prophet has seen Israel’s sin up close – rebellion, idolatry, injustice. He knows they deserve judgment. But as he closes his message, he celebrates a God who takes delight not in wrath, but in mercy.

Micah says our God pardons sin and forgives transgression. The Lord isn’t looking for reasons to hold our failures against us. He is looking for opportunities to show compassion. We often imagine God the way we imagine human authorities – stern, frustrated, quick to punish. God is different. He doesn’t forgive reluctantly. He forgives because mercy brings him . . . . joy.

This changes how we live. When we know we are forgiven, we don’t need to hide from God or pretend. We can bring our sins into the light because we trust God’s forgiving grace. We can also relate differently to others. We can be quick to forgive and slow to judge.

There are a couple of wonderful pictures of forgiveness here. God tramples our sins underfoot. He throws them into the depths of the sea. They cannot chase after us. They cannot affect us. They are gone!

Finally, Micah reminds us that this mercy rests on God’s faithful promises. From Abraham to you, his covenant does not fail. Rest for your soul is in those truths. In Jesus your sins are defeated. Your past is buried. Your God delights to show you mercy.

Who is like our God? No one. And that is why we live in hope.

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. (Micah 7:18)

Blessed Are You When People Speak Badly of You

It’s become very “normal” in public speech to hear insults and rejection of another group. During our current government shutdown, the accusations fly back and forth. Each side claims the moral high ground while pointing fingers at the other. In this environment it’s easy to think the only possible response to someone who speaks what you don’t like to hear is retaliation. Our instinct is to fire back.

Is that the only option?

Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil … (Luke 6:22).

Then there’s an important add-on:  … because of the Son of Man.

We can see exclusion and even hatred as a blessing if it is because of Christ. Jesus isn’t approving wrongdoing or encouraging us to let others walk all over us. He’s teaching us to view those situations in which we are opposed in a different light. When people treat you poorly because you follow Jesus, it means they’re . . . . seeing Christ in you. The faith the Holy Spirit planted in your heart is visible to others.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven (v. 23). The approval of the world may not be there for you, but your reward of grace through Jesus’ sacrifice for you always is.

We’d much rather be included, respected, and liked. But when that doesn’t happen, Jesus reminds us we’re in good company. The prophets were mocked too. Believers before us stood firm under pressure.

If people speak badly of you because of Jesus, God calls you blessed. It shows you are a disciple of Jesus. Your hope is anchored in Christ and nothing others say can change that.
 

22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. (Luke 6:22-23)

“You’re free!”
“Great. What does that mean?”
That’s not as simple a question as it sounds. Freedom runs through our nation’s story. The Statue of Liberty still invites, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free …” Every July 4 we celebrate independence, our freedom from Great Britain. It’s a gift we rightly thank God for, because not everyone enjoys that liberty.

Yet that’s not the freedom Jesus was talking about. When he offered freedom to his hearers, they were still under Roman rule. He was speaking of something deeper.

Many today chase a kind of freedom that means doing whatever they want, no restrictions, no accountability. But that’s not biblical freedom. Scripture tells us, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). No one by nature is . . . . free from the reign and condemnation of sin.

Here’s a great truth – you can be truly free in Christ even if you live under an oppressive government or have little power or influence. At the Lord’s Supper, Jesus said, “This is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).

Forgiveness in Christ is real freedom. It’s freedom from sin’s debt and eternal condemnation. Hold on to Jesus’ teaching. Trust his death and resurrection for you. The truth has set you free forever. You are free! Don’t ever let it go.

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

“Time flies.” And “time drags.” Whichever of the two you’re experiencing right now depends on what’s happening around you.

In prayer both can happen. An Old Testament king, Hezekiah, prayed for healing. Before the prophet Isaiah could even leave the palace grounds, the answer came from the Lord that he would recover. On the other hand, the Apostle Paul prayed three times for his “thorn in the flesh” to be taken away. He waited. The “thorn” never was removed, but over time he learned to lean on God’s grace.

You may remember “The Parable of the Persistent Widow.” It speaks directly to those moments when you . . . . pray and it feels as though time slows to a crawl while you wait for God to respond. A widow was asking for justice after being wronged. She wanted nothing more than for the judge to do his job. But the judge didn’t do anything because he neither feared God nor cared what people thought (Luke 18:2). So what does she do? She keeps going back with the same request until it’s granted.

You can only take the details of a parable so far. God is not “unjust” like the judge. He’s not unfairly trying to withhold blessings from us because it’s a bother to him. But if we persist in pursuing what we need from flawed humans, why not with God who watches over us with eternal love?

God gives freely. God always has our well-being in mind. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32). God in love decided to send his Son for our forgiveness and salvation at no cost to us.

The widow was requesting something that was good and right – justice. Justice is part of God’s will. We persist in praying for what lines up with God’s will revealed in the Bible. And then we trust.

Keep on asking! Pray in faith. God will take care of it from there. And whatever he decides will be good. You can count on it.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (Luke 18:1)

“Every why hath a wherefore.” That was Shakespeare’s poetic way of saying that very little happens by chance. Generally there is an agent behind an action. There is cause and effect. And to navigate life well, it is vital we understand both. If you want to effect a healthy heart, you need to know the causes of heart disease. Before a major purchase causes you to go into debt, you need to think about the effect it will have on your budget. If you want the peace of being close to God, you need to know what causes that effect. Again, to navigate life well, it is vital we understand cause and effect.

We are nearing the end of the Church Year. This past year, we have reviewed Jesus’ life and teaching. The Scripture readings in these final weeks recall some of the major themes that are woven throughout the Church Year. In this final series we will be looking at those themes with the understanding that “every why hath a wherefore.” We conclude the year by talking about cause and effect in God’s kingdom.

When King David and the people of Israel brought their gifts for the building of the temple, David did not pat himself or his country on the back. Instead, he was amazed at what God had done among them: “Who are we, that we should be able to give as generously as this?” (1 Chronicles 29:14) His joy in giving came from the privilege of being able to give at all!

Humility is the first step in growing in how we see our giving. Everything we place into God’s hands was his to begin with. Our resources, our skills, even our ability to work and earn, all come from him. Giving is not about what we lose, but about what we return to the Lord from his blessings to us.

Second, we grow in generosity when we see giving not as an obligation but as worship. The people gave joyfully because they knew they were part of something bigger. They were participating in the building of God’s . . . . house for God’s mission and to God’s glory. In the same way, each time we give we join in God’s work of bringing his gospel to the world.

Finally, giving allows us to grow through the work of the Holy Spirit. Each act of generosity is a reminder to us that God will continue to provide. As we release our grip on what we think is ours, we learn to trust more deeply in him.

David and the Israelites were getting one of their greatest projects rolling – the building of the first permanent temple to worship their Lord. David leads the people in understanding what was happening in this exciting moment of generosity.

Over time in the Word our giving becomes less about duty and more about joy, less about the sacrifice we make and more about worship. Jesus’ generous sacrifice has made us his people through his forgiveness and love. God’s people give! Like David, we stand in amazement: “Who am I, that God should give me this great privilege?”

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 
(1 Chronicles 29:14)

Is it easier to be a proclaimer of God’s truth in prosperity or in tough times? The answer is probably this: “Neither is easier. They’re just different.”

On the prosperity side, maybe you don’t have to struggle for the basic needs of life. You live comfortably. You may not face outright physical persecution. The enemy of the faith can be sneakier, and within – within our own country, our own churches, our own selves.

Amos was a prophet who ministered during a prosperous time in the history of God’s Old Testament people. Yes, the Kingdom had divided into north (Israel) and south (Judah), but both territories were doing well. He looked around him and saw people – especially the leadership – lounging on couches, dining on choice foods, strumming away on musical instruments, and drinking wine by the bowlful. They were complacent and living a decadent life. The worst attitude was that of . . . . not grieving over the ruin of Joseph (Amos 6:6). Their country and people were going down the tubes, and they didn’t care!

So, Amos invites them to look around at other great cities around them – Kalneh, Hamath, and Gath – and make a comparison. Israel and Judah were prospering, but were they any better than these other cities spiritually? Could they not fall just like any other nation had?

Christians are often saddened by the spiritual state of our country. Are we doing any better than countries around us, especially those we might have considered “less godly” at one point? We have prosperity that was unthinkable in the past. Is it possible that our own nation could lose that? These are uncomfortable questions, but ones Amos leads us to ask.

It starts with us. Do we fall into spiritual complacency? Is our passion the same as that of Christ who came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10)? Let’s be renewed and refreshed in God’s grace in Christ! We have a God who sought us out and redeemed us. We are sent to spread the light of our Savior. We are called to be active in having conversations about our faith and engaging our neighbors, children and friends with the eternal Word of God. We do grieve any spiritual decline, and we’re not complacent. We are messengers of gospel hope who trust that God will bless his Word.

You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. (Amos 6:6)