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Today: Psalms 104:19-30; 2 Corinthians 3:7-18; 2 Chronicles 35:20-27; 2 Chronicles 36
Psalms 104
I spent many years when I was younger running away from God. I am so thankful that He pursued me and called me back to Himself. He has forgiven me of all the years I lived in wretchedness. He has given me a new heart and healed my soul. I will spend the rest of my time here on this planet thanking and praising Him for His mercy, grace, and blessings. I can’t live long enough to give Him all the praise that fills my heart. I don’t want to waste a single day!
2 Corinthians 4
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Are you feeling weary, tired of fighting all the negative forces permeating our world today? For American GenXers like me, it can feel so bewildering. All we have ever known is peace and prosperity. We are in the final years of a long period of rest.
Throughout human history, God has occasionally blessed peoples with times of peace and rest. Unfortunately the result always seems to be the same — we become spiritually fat and lazy and fall away from God during these times of plenty.
Christians in some places haven’t had it so easy in the past several decades. But American Christians have. And our faith has grown weak and shallow. We humans seem to only realize our need for God during troubles.
So God eventually allows the trouble to come, to bring us back. Don’t be bewildered by the fiery trials flaring up around us. God is lifting His protection to call us back to Himself.
The same was happening to the early Christians. They were beginning to experience terrible persecution. Paul wrote letters to encourage them not to lose heart, even though “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (v.4) The Corinthian Christians were also battle weary, tired of the fight. Paul’s words capture their (and our) struggle. But he ends each point with hope and strength…
We feel “hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed.” (v.8) Look up! Do not despair or lose hope. The fires my come but God will walk through the fires with us.
Micah 2:3-4
Micah’s vision is relevant for US today. In fact, Micah is describing TODAY… it is a warning against all the wicked who “plot evil on their beds… They covet fields and they seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud people of their homes; they rob them of their inheritance…” (v.2:1-2) This is a perfect description of our government, is it not?
Here’s what God says He is going to do to them:
“Therefore, the LORD says: ‘I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity. In that day people will ridicule you; they will taunt you with this mournful song: ‘We are utterly ruined…” Micah 2:3-4
Our culture and even our churches have been infiltrated by false prophets who tickle our ears and sell their messages to the highest bidder. They prophesy “plenty of wine and beer…” — you will own nothing and be happy… THIS is our mainstream media, hollywood, celebrities, elites…
But they are liars and deceivers who take away God’s blessing from our children forever. God says to them, “Get up, go away! For this is not your resting place, because it is defiled, it is ruined, beyond all remedy.” (v.2:10)
During the past five years many of us have learned what is really going on behind closed doors, in the secret chambers of the wicked people who run the world. But God ALWAYS knew. God always saw those “who hate good and love evil; who tear the skin from My people and the flesh from their bones; who eat My people’s flesh, strip off their skin and break their bones in pieces, who chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot.” (v.3:2-3)
God has withheld His judgment so the wicked think they are getting away with their evil plans. But they are fools. God sees. God always knew. Here’s what He says He will do to the false prophets:
“As for the prophets who lead my people astray, they proclaim ‘peace’ if they have something to eat, but prepare to wage war against anyone who refuses to feed them. Therefore night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination. The sun will set for the prophets, and the day will go dark for them. The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God.” Micah 3:6-8
Justice is coming. TRUE justice… not what people mean when they say this watered down word in their twisted vernaculars. They have no idea what true justice means. Brace yourselves.
