Love without judgment…. (devo reflection)

Micah 7:19a You will again have compassion on us;

Verse 19 today reminds me of Psalm 103:12, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” God does not want us steeped in sin. He doesn’t want to hold on to the memory of our transgressions. Jesus died for our sins. By His stripes we are healed. God relishes our healing because He knows it draws us closer to Him, and He wants us closer, not because He needs it but because we do.

Micah 7:19b …you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

I’ve heard it said before, “Don’t judge someone just because they sin differently than you.” We are all familiar with Jesus’s command, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” (John 8:7), and I’ve shared the long ago billboard that encouraged: “Just love everyone. I’ll sort them out later. ~God” I truly don’t think God wants us passing judgment on each other. He wants us to love. He sent His Son for each and every one of us. Everyone. Even that person plucking your last nerve. Even the person plucking mine.

Micah 7:20a You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham,

God of Love and Mercy, Thank You for Your Son, for His sacrifice, for a way back to You when I stray. Thank You for wiping the slate clean for me. Help me to love without judgment. Help me to live as Your fiercely loved child. Help me to recognize that everyone I meet is Your beloved child as well. Amen.

Micah 7:20b …as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago.

Have a blessed day.

Bountiful blessings…. (devo reflection)

Micah 7:17 They will lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground.

Lord, Thank You that You are a gracious, merciful God, that You pardon sins, forgive transgressions, and delight to show mercy (v18). We don’t deserve Your goodness. We’ve done nothing to earn Your mercy. Yet You lavish us with these blessings anyway. Thank You.

Micah 7:17b They will come trembling out of their dens; they will turn in fear to the Lord our God and will be afraid of you.

Father, Forgive us when we act like Your grace, mercy, and fierce love are our rights instead of Your bountiful blessings. Help us not to lose sight of the gifts that You have given us–love, mercy, compassion, kindness. Help us to appreciate the simple gifts–sunshine, rain, flowers, blue skies, a light wind, bird song. Help us to look at this day with new eyes and grateful hearts.

Micah 7:18a Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?

Precious Savior, This is the day that You have made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24). Help us to see, to acknowledge, to appreciate every blessing, every gift. Help us to live this day as a gift to You and in harmony with all of Your creation. Amen.

Micah 7:18b You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.

Have a blessed day.

Dealing with issues…. (devo reflection)

Micah 7:14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago.

Today I am drawn to verse 16 because it strikes me as a very current way of handling problems–cover your eyes, cover your ears, just pretend that there is no issue. And while that works for the very short term (if I don’t acknowledge there is an issue, then I don’t have to deal with said issue), that is not a long term solution (nor a very effective short term solution).

Micah 7:15 “As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show them my wonders.”

In all my years of living, I have learned that if there is an issue, it’s best to deal with it–head on and immediately. Don’t dance around it. Don’t ignore it. Don’t sugar coat it. It’s probably only going to get worse on its own. If I’ve messed up, own up and apologize. If someone else is the issue, be honest (and as kind as possible) about what I’m seeing. It’s not easy, but it’s a much better way to deal with problems in the long run.

Micah 7:16a Nations will see and be ashamed, deprived of all their power.

Precious Savior, Thank You that I know that just ignoring issues will not make them go away. Thank You that I have gotten better about recognizing and addressing issues, even when I am the root cause. Help me to address all others as Your beloved children. Help me to shine Your light always, even in conflict. Amen.

Micah 7:16b They will put their hands over their mouths and their ears will become deaf.

Have a blessed day.

Reflections on hope…. (devo reflection)

Micah 7:11 The day for building your walls will come, the day for extending your boundaries.

Today’s verses feel rather barren, rather desolate. Personally, I try to live the Psalm 71:14 theory of life: “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.” Focusing on the negative often puts me in a negative headspace, and that’s not good for anybody.

Micah 7:12a In that day people will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,

Looking back over my reflections for the first 10 verses of Micah, God has revealed truth upon truth, reminded me of who He is, of how He loves others (all others), reminded me that He calls me to love and that He will take care of the rest, reminded me that life and family can both be complicated but that I am to put Him first and just love everybody. There are so many positive lessons here.

Micah 7:12b …even from Egypt to the Euphrates and from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.

Precious Savior, Help me to cling to hope, to praise You more and more. Thank You for the truths that You have revealed to me thus far in Micah. I cannot wait to finish exploring this text (again!) with You. Thank You. Amen.

Micah 7:13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants, as the result of their deeds.

Have a blessed day.

On retribution and blessings…. (devo reflection)

Micah 7:10a Then my enemy will see it and will be covered with shame,

Romans 12:19 says, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” I have learned that vengeance is definitely something I should leave to God because seeing someone “get what’s coming to them,” even if they hurt me, hurts my heart.

Micah 7:10b …she who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?”

I think it hurts my heart to see others suffer and feel left out because I know how it feels. I always root for the underdog because I’ve felt the sting of being the underdog. But I now try to live Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” instead of hoping that those who have been mean get what’s coming to them. God loves them, too.

Micah 7:10c …My eyes will see her downfall;

Precious Savior, Thank You that I don’t have the heart to rejoice when others are suffering, even if they have treated me poorly. Help me to get better at blessing those who persecute me instead of being angry and bitter at them for their treatment and hoping they will “get what’s coming to them.” Work on both our hearts. Help us both to draw closer to You and to shine Your light. Amen.

Micah 7:10d …even now she will be trampled underfoot like mire in the streets.

Have a blessed day.

God of love…. (devo reflection)

I watch in hope for the Lord…. (devo reflection)

Micah 7:6a For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

Let’s face it–family relationships, in-law relationships, human relationships can be tricky sometimes. Sometimes *I* am the problem. Sometimes it’s other people. Thankfully, I’ve never been in a situation where it got as bad as “rising up” as in today’s verses, but human relationships can be hard. Period. Again, I think part of that is just human nature.

Micah 7:6b …a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

Micah 7:7 is balm for my soul. In the turmoil of human relationships, “I will watch in hope for the Lord, I will wait for God my Savior; my God *will* hear me” (emphasis mine). No matter the situation. No matter the issue. No matter the cause (even if *I’m* the cause), my God will hear, He will answer, He will respond. He won’t always save me from the mess I’ve made, from the consequences of my actions, but He will always be *with* me.

Micah 7:7a But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior;

Precious Savior, Thank You that You are the One I can trust. Always. Thank You that You understand my heart, even when my thoughts and words are a jumbled mess. Thank You that You never leave me, never forsake me. Never. Thank You that You hear me. Always. Amen.

Micah 7:7b …my God will hear me.

Have a blessed day.

The Alpha and the Omega…. (devo reflection)

What I know to be true…. (devo reflection)

Micah 7:3a Both hands are skilled in doing evil;

After many miscommunications and misunderstandings, I learned a valuable lesson about my spouse over the years. If something seems out of character, then I’m probably misinterpreting what happened (or why). “The situation looks like X, but that’s not who he is as a person, so there’s got to be something I’m missing.” It has helped facilitate a lot of necessary conversations over the years.

Micah 7:3b …the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes,

That philosophy helps in my relationship with Christ as well. “This situation feels like X, but that’s not who God is, that’s not who Jesus is, so there’s got to be something I’m missing, something I don’t understand.” I serve a God of love, mercy, and compassion. This philosophy has helped me to know that there are things that I will never understand on this side of the veil. It has also helped me to remember the essential character of my God, especially when life is tough.

Micah 7:3c …the powerful dictate what they desire—

Precious Savior, Thank You for the relationship I have with You, for the fact that every page I read in Your word, every life experience I have helps me to draw a bit closer to You. Thank You that when life seems unfathomable, I can hold onto what I know to be true of You: You love me fiercely. You love those I love more than I am even capable of loving. You gave Your life for me. You will never leave me or forsake me. You embody love, mercy, and compassion.  Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Micah 7:3d …they all conspire together.

Have a blessed day.

Grateful…. (devo reflection)

Micah 7:1a What misery is mine!

I looked up commentary on this chapter, so I know that Micah, a prophet, is confessing Israel’s sins in this chapter. However, when I first read these verses, what immediately came to my mind is those times when I am in such a bad mood that I can’t even stand myself.

Micah 7:1b I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave.

When everything feels wrong and all I can do is gripe and complain, and I don’t want to be around people and I really don’t even want to be around myself because all I can seem to do is complain, that is a sincerely terrible place to be, but what comes to mind as I read this is that even in that stinky headspace, God still loves me eternally, Jesus still loves me unconditionally, and I am just so grateful.

Micah 7:2a The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains.

Precious Savior, I know that I can sometimes get myself into a terrible snit, thinking that life is just so awful when I really know that it’s just a bad space, a bad day, a bad chapter; it’s not a bad life. Thank You for loving me even when I have trouble loving myself. Help me to extend to myself and others grace, mercy, and compassion. Always. Amen.

Micah 7:2b Everyone lies in wait to shed blood; they hunt each other with nets.

Have a blessed day.