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God is not a bully…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 103:9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;

Today’s verses, specifically the word fear in verse 11, sent me on a hunt. I do not worship a God of fear, a God who strives to make His followers afraid. So what does verse 11 mean, “so great is his love for those who fear him”?

Psalm 103:10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

A quick search reveals the synonyms honor, revere, respect. One source even said that to fear the Lord means to give Him your undivided attention. Those definitions I can get behind. Fear in the traditional sense I cannot. God is not a bully. He doesn’t wield power in order to make others afraid. That’s not who He is.

Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

Precious Savior, Thank You that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that You are not a God of fear. Thank You that it is easy to give You honor, glory, respect. Thank You that You love me so much that You do not treat me as my sins deserve but instead fling my sins as far away from me as the east is from the west. Help me to treat others with Your grace, compassion, and love. Amen.

Psalm 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Have a blessed day.

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Let love be my default…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 103:5 …who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Verse 8 really stands out to me in today’s scripture. “Compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love,” what a beautiful description of the Lord. What a beautiful description of anybody. I would like to be more like that. At my best, I hit many of those traits, but, unfortunately, I’m not always at my best.

Psalm 103:6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

If I had to pick one thing to focus on, to work on, to get better about, I think it would be being slow to anger. I shared not long ago a valuable lesson about my spouse I have learned over the years–If something seems out of character, then I’m probably misinterpreting what happened (or why). That realization helped ease my knee-jerk anger reaction with my spouse, but I still have the anger reaction in a lot of areas in my life. That’s definitely something I need to work on.

Psalm 103:7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:

Precious Savior, Thank You for a beautiful description of You to emulate. Help me to be more like You: “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” Let love, not anger, be my default reaction. Help me to be more like You with each breath, so that when others look at me, they see You shining through. Amen.

Psalm 103:8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

Have a blessed day.

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Even in my grumpiness…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 103:1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Since I mentioned Psalm 103 *and* I reached the end of Micah 7 in yesterday’s reflection, I thought I’d focus on the whole of Psalm 103 as my next chapter to reflect on in my daily devotionals. I’ve mentioned that I love the Psalms because they are so real, they can be so raw and honest. Psalm 103 is absolutely a Psalm of praise.

Psalm 103:2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—

There are times when I can get rather grumpy. In those times, especially, I would do well to remember Psalm 103. God is bigger than my feelings, than my grumpiness. And He has been so incredibly gracious to me. If I look–and I truly don’t have to look far, I see so many blessings to thank Him for, no matter my headspace.

Psalm 103:3 …who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases…

Precious Savior, Thank You for understanding when I am grumpy. Thank You for the abundant blessings in my life, regardless of my attitude. Help me, even in my grumpiness, to see Your abundant grace, to praise You for Your mercy and blessings, to take all those blessings to heart, especially when I want to grump. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 103:4 …who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion…

Have a blessed day.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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God of love…. (devo reflection)

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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.