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Showing posts from December, 2014

Speak Up

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those who are perishing. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice." Proverbs 31:8-9   High school passing periods are typically too short to have time to run to the bathroom and still get to class on time, but I went for it anyway. My timing, however, didn't take into consideration the poor freshman cornered in the bathroom by two bullies. I knew the kid and managed to talk the two of them out of whatever they were planning. They seemed satisfied with his terrified tear-filled eyes. The writer of today's verses saw helpless people too. He took exception to it and called for action. Simply observing injustice, cruelty, and evil was unacceptable. There is a moral obligation, even stronger, a divine obligation to speak up for those who have no voice. The next time you witness injustice ... The next time your blood boils over wrongs being done ... The next time your head

Help!

"O Lord, I am willing to call to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help! Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering."  Psalm 141:1-2   I didn't wake up that morning saying to myself, "I think I'll wander off the hiking path alone and end up stuck and stranded on a rock ledge with nothing but boulders below", but that's exactly what I did. There were no good options available to me. Regardless of whether or not I could explain how I got there, the fact of the matter was I was there. So, I did what every other self-respecting young man would do, I yelled for help! Help did come. Not in the form of another person, but in the form of a strategically located sapling about an inch in diameter. It was just close enough and just strong enough to enable my escape. Apparently, I'm not the only one who has ever yelled for help. King David did, all the time. In our verses for the day, he was in trouble.

Simple

"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've never been accused of being the sharpest tool in the shed. I can identify pretty quickly all the people in the room who are a few IQ points above me. I'm okay with that. Everyone has their points of excellence. It may be the lack of letters after my name or just my personality, but either way, I prefer simple. Complicated leads to confusion and miscommunication. Simple leads to action, movement and progress. God, through his prophet Micah, chose to go with simple. The people of Israel had lost their way. They were under covenant to worship God alone, but instead they added countless idols and threw in a good measure of self seeking just to seriously muddy up the water. Simple was needed ... Do the right thing, care for others, and stay close and submitted to God.  I think this simplicity theme

Planting and Plowing

"I said, 'Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you."  Hosea  10:12     Living in a neighborhood surrounded by cornfields has given me the opportunity to witness planting and plowing up close and personal. It's obvious even from my observer position that a bountiful harvest doesn't just happen. The soil is worked. The seed is planted. The plants are protected from bugs and weeds. Then, when the rainwater falls and the sun shines, the crops burst from the ground as if reporting for roll call. It's truly remarkable. God, through his prophet Hosea, was giving the people of Israel the answer to the question, "Where's the love?" The crop of love was missing. Why? They had neglected righteousness. They allowed their hearts to remain hard. It was time for some planting and plowing. The Lord of

Temporary

"Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see,  and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever."  I John  2:15-17   I visited my doctor recently, my annual physical. I talked to her about this ache and this pain and how I used to be able to __________ (fill in the blank). "Well, you're getting a little older", she says. I've decided that I officially don't like getting older, watching my youth slowly fade away. Regardless, it's happening like it or not. All is fading away. John pointed out this reality in his letter with brutal clarity. All we crave, all we think we need to have, every experience that we d