January 27th Reflection by Bill Lynch

Micah 6:1-8

6Hear what the Lord says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. ²Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the Lord has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. ³“O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me! ⁴For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. ⁵O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”
⁶“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? ⁷Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” ⁸He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Reflection
Take a moment and reflect on the blessings that God has freely given to you in your life. Blessings such as family, children, shelter, health, renewal, transportation, friends, safety, warmth in the midst of cold, rescue in the midst of the storm, food... The list can go on and on.

God has only done good things to us. The evil things that have happened aren't a result of God. The fallen nature of this world is due to sin and some choosings of our own. God has always come to us in the midst of troubles that we have created in one way or another, or even come to us while we were in the midst of troubles we didn't create but found ourselves in the midst of, to rescue us and save us from ourselves, sin, death and the devil. God comes to save.

Sure, there is still death, and suffering and poverty and those times that we suffer, but that is not due to God's action. It may not even be due to your own action, but it's where you find yourself at certain times.

God turns around and witnesses our pain and suffering and comes to save. God comes to save and some day he will come to eliminate all of those evil things in life, but for now, God comes to save. We profess in the belief that Jesus will come again to raise the living and the dead to judge and deliver and take us into Jesus' Kingdom which will have no end. That's eternal life... that's the elimination portion... that's it.

But for now we live in a world of sin and evil. We live in a world of disease and death. We live in a world of poverty.

Now... once again... think of those saving acts of God in your life. God hasn't done anything to hurt you. God has always done those things to save and rescue you. Think of the blessings and how the blessings far out weigh the evils of this world. Think of how God has turned around from heaven and come to you in your place and your time here on earth. God has come to you! Yes... to you to save you!

And God doesn't expect anything in return but a response to what God has done for you. And that response is always something you are capable of doing right now at this moment and in this place. God doesn't expect you to give in return something that you don't have. God doesn't expect to be repaid for the blessings you have received. God's not looking for pay for even more blessing. What God expects is your response to his love in doing justice, loving kindness and walking with God.

Yes, all God wants is for you to be a disciple and follow and act out in the love that you have freely been given through Jesus. I can do this... you can do this... all people can do this.

Think of all the blessings of God. Think of how God turned from heaven and came to earth in Jesus. Think of how Jesus gave his life for you that you may have eternal life.

How will you respond? What will you do?

Prayer
Lord, it's my decision, it's my will, that I give my life to you. I believe! I give myself to you to follow in your way and to learn your ways for my life and what pleases you. Grow my faith, dear Lord. Your blessings are beyond anything I ever expected or deserved and your love is without boundary. In this I follow and live for you... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen