"No, O people the LORD has told you what is good. and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8
I love guidelines. I love rules. This is not always been the case. Most of my life even up until recent years, and to be honest is still a stronghold I battle, is the need to be in control. Now, I know Who is in control but that does not change the fact that I want to help Him whenever I can.
Since I have been following hard after God, I have come in touch with side of myself that likes for someone else to be in control-to make the decisions. (Not that I don't like to have input-I am a woman after all.) However, I have come to appreciate the comfort and security of rules and guidelines. Age is not on my side and I am not deep thinker therefore the more simple the rules the better.
The Lord has made things simple for His children. He has three basic requirements. Can you believe He has made it this easy?
- To do what is right.
(Treat others the way you want to be treated.) - To love mercy.
(Love kindness so much that you show it.) - To walk humbly with your God.
(Stay close to God and don't think too highly of yourself.)
It seems God was rewriting His earlier law. Perhaps it appeared His children were having such a hard time following the law the way it was written He felt the need to simplify. No matter what the reason for the simplifaction, this rule lovin' girl is happy for the easy 1-2-3.
10 Comments:
Wendy, I like knowing what is expected as well. I work much better with structure, direction and guidelines. Three "easy" steps? *smiling* Easier to list than apply. Praying the Lord will help me do right, love mercy and walk humbly.
Today I was struck by Micah 7:8, "...though I fall, I will rise again." I have had some physical falls, and I usually rise quickly, too embarrassed by the scene I've made, sprawled out across the floor. Physically we may be laid up for a season, but often emotional, mental and spiritual falls take longer to heal. Outwardly there may be no bruising, but inwardly wounds cut deep. On a downward spiral, the bottom has been knocked out of our life and there is no edge to regain footing.
Stumbling blocks of low self-esteem, insecurity, pride, fear, unworthiness, rejection, captivity, shame, doubt and judgment are rocks on the path of life that cause my feet to slip. James 3:2 says, "We all stumble in many ways." Yet, Psalm 37:23-24 tells me, "If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand."
Like those little "Weebles" that wobble, but don't stay down, the Lord picks us back up. We will fall, but we will rise again. We have a God who specializes in resurrection. Not rising in my own strength, I can have confidence in the One who has already risen.
So thankful He lifts me up,
Joy
Good Morning all.
Thanks Joy for your comments. We have similar stumbling blocks.
What I marked today was Micah 7:14-20 but especially vs 15 "Yes", says the Lord "I will do mighty miracles for you, like those I did when I rescued you from slavery in Egypt."
We are slaves to our struggles and strongholds, but my Lord will do "Mighty Miracles" for me and rescue me from them.
Also part of 2 Chron. 32:8 We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!
So many times "I" get in the way of the battle. Fully knowing God is more than able to handle anything and everything, but getting impatient and butting in, not giving God His space, to do it His way.
I'm a planner - plan, plan, plan.. God has been showing me that I need to sit back and ask Him what to do instead of planning what to do.
Have a great Monday everyone.
Lynn
Wendy, Oh I love the simplification of the 1-2-3- requirements! The Lord is so compassionate and loving. He just keeps explaining what His desires to the people!
I'm telling you all, I have loved these readings each day! When we said good-bye to the precious Psalms, my heart felt bitter-sweet. But, there's been so much meat to chew on this past week...This is the best Book around!
This morning I can hardly stand it. We leave with the message to Hezekiah, from the great king of Assyria! He says, "What god of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? So what makes you think that the LORD can rescue Jerusalem from me?"
Can you just see God looking down and listening to this prideful man? I can hardly wait till tomorrow...I see an AMAZING VICTORY in the picture! No one talks about God like that and gets away with it!
I LOVE the way Hezekiah encourages his people! He must have been frightened and scared out of his wits. Can you imagine the pressure he was under? What does he tell his people?
"Be strong and courageous!
Don't be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! (LOVE THIS!) ...they are merely men. We have the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!"
What an encourager! Lord, this too is my desire. Give me words to share to those I love that are suffering today. May I ALWAYS be compassionate and speak your truths.
Off to enjoy my prayer-walk dear sisters! "When morning gilds the skies my heart awaking cries: May Jesus Christ be praised!
When you begin the day, O never fail to say,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
[1838, When Morning Gilds the Skies}
Prayers coming you way! Lori - AZ
Well, just had to say, I enjoyed your comments Joy and Lynn! We must be all early birds, typing at the crack of dawn! :)
Joy, loved what you wrote-when we "weeble and wobble, the Lord picks us back up! I am so thankful He is walking right along besides me!
And Lynn, don't ya think us gals were just born planning! :) I'm a planner too. Makes it particularly hard to wait! He is showing me to trust in Him and to just enjoy this personal relationship with Him. He's got it all under control! I always think of 2 statements:
Charles Swindoll once stated, "God not only moves in unusual ways, He also moves on uneventful days!"
and remember what Amy Jane said:
"What a difference a day can make."
The Glory is worth the wait.
The feeling of peace knowing it is all part of God's plan is comforting. Knowing that we have the master planner in charge! Our all-powerful God is able to handle all of our problems. He changes the impossible to the possible. He allows these "turn-arounds," to happen, right before our eyes.
Glory be to Him! Lori - AZ
Good morning ladies. I feel like I have been "out of pocket" for a few days. We have just finished a wonderful visit with my sister and her family from Texas. We had a wonderful time, but it was quite a house full (13 people including three little ones, three teenage girls, 3 20 year olds and 2 dogs!). It got kind of crazy at times and although I tried to rise before the "littles" and the dogs got up, it never quite happened! So I was doing good to get my reading in, let alone reading your comments. It feels good to be back on track today! I really enjoyed and learned a lot from each of your comments today.
Wendy, I too marked Michah 6:8. Like you I like having rules (that's part of the reason I'm so nervous about home schooling!) But I also like to be in control and constantly have to remind myself that God doesn't need my help!
Joy, funny you should mention falling. I just took a spill this weekend. We are getting ready for a garage sale in a couple of weeks and my garage is a huge mess. I was looking for something in there and tripped over a bag of books,lost my balance and put a gash and a huge bruise on my shin. As much as that hurt physically and hurt my pride,I would much rather fall physically than emotionally or spiritually. I have had my share of the latter and they are much harder to recover from! But your words(from His word) were very encouraging and I will remember them next time I start to "wobble".
Lynn, I loved the two passages that you marked and decided to mark them myself. I am so thankful for the many miracles that God has worked in my life and will continue to work. I am also glad that I don't have to fight my own battles, but that He is there to fight them for me.
Lori, I too am excited to see what will happen tomorrow. I was a little shocked to hear someone talking to the Lord this way! And I love how you call your morning walk your prayer walk. I walk and pray each morning also. Like you I have been blessed by extraordinarily beautiful surroundings- I live in Colorado- and I love that time with Him. I have started a habit of praying for each of the people that I meet along my path each day. I pray that if they don't know Christ that they will know Him and that if they do that they will grow in their walk with Him. Even though I only have a brief encounter with each of them (they are either jogging,walking briskly, or biking by) I hope I can make a difference for someone who may need to be lifted up in prayer.
Have a blessed day!
Carmen
Well, I'm popping back in before I get going...This morning while I was walking & praying,I thought back to my HS composition classes, and remembered my teachers specifically going over in detail about the appearance of how the composition paper should appear (when handing in a final composition draft.) Remember, how they always told us to keep that inch margin all around the sheet of paper? They were very clear about not going past the "pink" lines to the left and to the right. And, keeping the same space at the top and at the bottom.
Well, this "margin," also applies to our days. Keeping enough 'extra' space on our plates, so as to not feel overwhelmed, exasperated, and I guess 'out of control!'
Dear Lord Jesus, today I lift Wendy up to you. She has many obligations on her mind as the, She Speaks, conference nears. Allow her to surrender her day over to you. Show her clearly, what she can let go of. Who she can delegate certain duties to, over the next couple of weeks. Allow her to say, "no," when necessary, and "yes," when it is something you want you to do. I know, dear Lord, she spends time with you and I know without a doubt you walk along beside her. Next to you, Lord, allow her to fill her husbands needs the next couple of weeks. May You give her ways to bless him and respect him. May she look at him with longing and desire and may you bless their time together. Show Wendy boundaries with her children. May she be blessed over and over again as she spends time with them throughout her days. Prepare her heart for the conference. Fill her to the brim with your Holy Spirit. May the power she has insider her allow her to do mighty things this week. And, at the end of the day, may she have that "extra inch of margin" left...may she feel Your peace. May she feel strong and healthy. May her mind be clutter-free. May she see clearly through your eyes, so that she'll know exactly what needs to be done. Then, dear Lord, pour your blessings over her as she takes part in She Speaks. May she be renewed, & rejuvenated by You! May your protection cover her family while she is away, and may they all look forward to her return.
Amen.
And, PS Thank you so very much dear Lord, for spilling out of her every morning as she serves us through the words you give her to write. Her love of Your Word has fallen upon us all.
Lori,
Such a nice prayer! Thank you for posting it. I have finished my days working in the US. I am on two weeks of "vacation" and then I am off to Basel. As I took my walk this morning, I reflected on how God gives us a period of rest before our next challenge. As I reflected on this, I asked God to let me really rest and re-charge in Him. He alone guides my feet along the path He has laid before me. I pray that every step I take remains on the path He has put in front of me.
Wendy, I liked Micah today too. My verses were 7:18-20 - 18 Where is another God like you,
who pardons the guilt of the remnant,
overlooking the sins of his special people?
You will not stay angry with your people forever,
because you delight in showing unfailing love.
19 Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under your feet
and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
20 You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love
as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago.
He continues to bless the remnant of His people. We got another glimpse of that remnant when the Assyrian king’s chief said: " I will give you 2,000 horses if you can find that many men to ride on them! With your tiny army, how can you think of challenging even the weakest contingent of my master’s troops, even with the help of Egypt’s chariots and charioteers?"
He may have been posturing, but les than 2000 men? I agree with Lori, King Hezekiah must surely have been afraid, but he was also trusting in Gods power, might and mercy.
1 Corinthians 13: 4a,7
Love is patient and kind...It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
This describes God's relationship with us, King Hezekiah's relationship with God, and the relationship I long to perfect with my heavenly father; always trusting, always hoping, always persevering even in times of trial.
Happy Monday,
Karen, CA
Good Morning Ladies,
Wendy I am a natural rebel and rules are not my nature. But like you since I have been following hard after God my rebellious nature has softened.:-) I still have my battles.
It was nice to be reminded of the simply instructions of life. To me that is my moral compass and I know I don’t always keep them. I take aim there and pray to hit the target.
I was really drawn to verses 7-9,
7) As for me, I look to the LORD for his help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. 8) Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD himself will be my light. 9) I will be patient as the LORD punishes me, for I have sinned against him. But after that, he will take up my case and punish my enemies for all the evil they have done to me. The LORD will bring me out of my darkness into the light, and I will see his righteousness.
I really love verse the last part of verse 8, “though I sit in darkness, the Lord himself will be my light.” Wow, then it goes on to say that even if I have sinned, He will deal with me. BUT, He takes care of the justice and then brings me out of the darkness.
So in Him I rest and there is light when there is darkness.
(Can I get an amen sisters?)
Diane
I'll join in on the Chorus of Amen! Diane. :)
I loved this verse too Wendy.
"No, O people the LORD has told you what is good. and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8
Thank you for your little explanations of what is right, love mercy and walk humbly.
I was going to look up mercy but your explanation made it more clear.
Lori I agree with you about Hezekiah...and can't you just see the people looking back n forth between the two, the messenger and Hezekiah? The allegiance the people must of had to Hezekiah...and better yet to our God.
The hard part for me would be to be still.
After the King of Assyria's messenger spoke:
2 Kings 18:36 "But the people were silent and did not utter a word because Hezekiah had commanded them, "Do not answer him."
This is what silence is golden must mean. No power struggle if you don't answer the enemy back.
Hmmm, I'll have to remember that when someone tries to lead me astray or make me wonder about my allegiance to God. Be silent and walk away.
It kind of reminds me of these verses: Romans 12:19-21...
"Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thisty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head;" Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Sometimes it is better not to say anything. It just makes things worse.
Love from Debbie in Illinois
In a few days, my husband and I leave for a 2 week vacation to Alaska. To say we're psyched is an understatement! I'll continue to be reading along ladies, but won't have much of a chance to log in and share. I'll be thinking of you all.
My prayer is that while on vacation (we're touring with a dozen others - none of whom we know); the people I encounter will see Jesus in me. I hope with God's help that I will do what is right; show mercy; and walk humbly.
I've had such a definite feeling that God will be meeting me there. I'm ready!
Morgen - MN
Post a Comment
Home