May the mumbling commence!
The call comes daily. God calls us to repentance. Are we listening for what the Lord desires of
us? Read from Hosea chapter six:
"Come, let us return to the Lord! He has torn us
in pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured
us; now
he will bandage our wounds. In just a short
time, he will restore us so we can live
in his presence. Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to
know him! Then he will respond to us as surely as the arrival
of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring."
"O Israel and Judah, what should I do with
you?" asks the Lord. "For your love vanishes like the morning
mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight.
I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces. I have slaughtered you with my
words, threatening you with death. My judgment will strike you as
surely as day follows night. I want you to be
merciful; I don't want your sacrifices. I want you to know God;
that's more important than burnt offerings.” (Verses 1-6)
Return to the Lord. Make a u-turn. God allows them. Eschew your injurious ways.
God will heal us. God will bandage our wounds and restore us to
full fellowship. God does these things
because of His good Name.
Our love vanishes in the morning
like mist. We are dull and do not
respond to the most vehement pleas and calls to action. Instead we rely solely upon sacrifices and
offerings that we make on our Sabbaths.
Forget about day-to-day living.
God calls us to be merciful. To be merciful is to begin to know God, who
is rich in mercy and grace and love.
This kind of love does not disappear with the sunlight of morning. This kind of love perseveres through all
things.
Will we answer that call
today? Will we answer that call
together? Will we claim God as our one
and only King? Or do we look elsewhere
for our guidance and instruction? Do we
make the same mistake as the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus’ day? Read from John chapter nineteen:
Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders
told him, "If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar. Anyone who
declares himself a king is a rebel against
Caesar."
When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again.
Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the
Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha).
It was now about noon of the day of preparation for the Passover. And
Pilate said to the people, "Here is your
king!"
"Away with him," they yelled. "Away with him – crucify him!"
"What? Crucify your king?"
Pilate asked.
"We have no king but Caesar," the leading priests shouted back. (Verses 12-15)
Do we claim President Obama as our
ultimate leader… or anyone else for that matter? Let’s say an emphatic “NO”! God is our ultimate leader. Jesus is our President. We have no other. We need no other.
Let’s return to the Lord this day
and every day that follows. Answer that
call to mercy. Answer that call to know
the Lord. Answer that call to know
yourself better. There is nothing better,
more godly, to do than that.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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