Tuesday, May 28, 2013

On the Brink of Disaster

On the brink of disaster ... at the edge of the cliff ... on a slippery slope ... at death's door ... in the pit of hell, is this you?  Ever been there?  Ever felt that way? Are you there now?

"For nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).  These words were given during the angel's pronouncement to the virgin Mary that she would give birth to a son even though she had never had sexual intercourse with a man, that she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit -- all impossible she may have thought, impossible we think.  Her cousin Elizabeth, well beyond child bearing years and barren, was six months pregnant according to the angel's pronouncement -- impossible. 

Internal Revenue Service demanding full payment on past due taxes? Son dealing drugs? 14 year old daughter pregnant?  Home in foreclosure?  Eviction scheduled, nowhere to go?  Spouse walked out?  Cancer diagnosis?  Your job downsized?  Business bankrupt?  Car repossessed?  Child brutally murdered?  On the brink of disaster?  Enough is enough ... nowhere to turn.  Impossible situation? 

Is anyone of these an impossible situation for you?  Not if the Word of God is true.  And it is.  "For nothing is impossible with God." If you're facing a mountain, speak to it (see Mark 11:23). Is your situation any more difficult than Mary having to tell her fiance, Joseph, that she was pregnant? Or to tell her parents? What about if you were Mary's mother?  Or Joseph's father?  Or the church (synagogue) leaders?  Is your situation any more difficult than Mary witnessing the savage and brutal crucifixion of her son? Speak to your mountain.  Expect the impossible to be made possible in your circumstance, no matter what it is.  "For nothing is impossible with God."

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

What Does God Require, part 4

He has showed you, O man, 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

What does the Lord require of you?  This scripture says to walk humbly with your God. Walk humbly with God, walk humbly before God, walk in humility.  My first thought -- what does God mean? What is humility?  Biblically speaking, humility is almost always used as a positive quality meaning lowliness or humbleness of mind.  Its opposite is pride which, biblically speaking, is almost always used in a negative sense of being proud, arrogant, haughty.

Obviously, God wants us to walk in humility, not in pride. In Numbers 12:3, God described Moses as the most humble, meek, gentle, kind man on the face of the earth (see AMP).   Can God look at your life and speak of you as He spoke of Moses?  On a scale of 1-10 -- 10 very humble, 1 not at all humble -- how humble are you? Consider this seven question test on true humility (see June Hunt, Biblical Counseling Keys on Pride and Humility).

1) Do you feel joy when others are honored?  2) Do you honestly and openly admit sin?  3) Do you seek truth from others regarding your weaknesses?  4) Do you accept criticism graciously?  5) Do you turn all worry, anxiety and concern over to the Lord? 6) Do you respond with humility when you have been replaced? 7) Do you pursue godliness in all that you do?

Can you answer yes to most of these questions?  If most of your answers are yes, you may have failed the test of true humility. God help us all to be more and more of what you require, to walk humbly with you and before you.

 

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

What Does God Require, part 3

He has showed you, O man, 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

And what does the Lord require?  He requires that we love mercy, that we love kindness.  An often quoted, frequently stated prayer is "Lord, have mercy."  Consider a time when you might have said the very same words. What was going on in your life at that very moment?  What were you asking God for?  What did you need God to do? In place of giving him all the details, the words "Lord, have mercy" were adequate.  There was no need to say more. And what happened?  The Lord showed you mercy through the acts of others.

As God's mercies are new to us every morning, so should our mercies to others be the same.  We are challenged to be like hose pipes.  As God's mercies flow into our lives, so must those mercies flow through us into the lives of others.  Just as water flows from its source into and through the hose pipe, so too should the mercies of God flow in and through our lives.  Should water flow into the hose pipe and not out the other end, what happens? The hose pipe will burst open.  It cannot contain the water.  So too with us, nothing out, no more in.  No new mercies can flow in.  We become less and less useful to God and to His people who come across our paths.

"Lord have mercy" on me so that I may have mercy on, show loving-kindness to, all before me.  Which comes first -- my receiving mercy or my giving mercy? No wonder the Lord requires us to love mercy.