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September 20, 2024 | ||
Dear Church Family, Do you know what God wants from you? Micah wrestles with this idea in Micah 6. As he looks out at the wickedness of the nation, he wonders how the people could become right with God. He offers up several suggestions: burnt offerings, calves a year old, thousands of rams, thousands of rivers of oil, or even our own firstborn. In the end, he settles on the answer given to him by the Lord:
All those other things, without truly repentant hearts, wouldn’t be pleasing to the Lord. What God really wants from us is obedient lives that reflect His goodness and character. He lists three strong marks of obedience for us to live out. As I’ve reflected on these three this morning, I’ve asked if those are marks of my life? How can I live them out today? How can I truly walk in them. The first is to do justice. Do I walk justly and execute justice in how I treat others? Do I pray for justice in our land through just leaders? How about you? How can you grow today in doing justice? How can you treat others fairly, both when others are watching and when they are not? The second is to love kindness. The kindness he’s talking about here is the faithful steadfast love that God gives to us. Notice, we’re not only to live with that kindness, but we’re to love it. So, this isn’t begrudgingly displaying kindness to others, but truly prizing it at the core of our being. I think this starts with meditating upon the kindness of God. Then it’s extending it to others. How can you love others with the same kind of love that you’ve received from God? Who in your life needs to see and know the steadfast love of God? The third is to walk humbly with my God. We are to walk with God. This describes an ongoing abiding relationship. This relationship is marked with humility. True humility isn’t a quality prized in our culture. Sadly, humility is increasingly brushed aside even in the church today. But we know that it is crucial to a right relationship with God and others. James 4:6 reminds us, “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” How would you describe your walk with God? Is it a walk marked with humility? How does your walk with Him need to change today? –Pastor Dave What’s Happening at Gospel Life:Youth Group: Join us this Sunday, September 22nd, from 5-7 pm at the Bronleewes’ house. We’ll have dinner, games, worship, and continue our new study, “Treasure Hunt.” Church Potluck: We’re having our next church potluck on Sunday, September 29th, right after the morning worship service. Please bring one of your favorite dishes to share with the group.Prayer & Praise Night: We have the amazing opportunity of coming together as a church body in worship and prayer at 6 pm on Sunday, October 6th at the Bronleewes’ house. Elder Training: Our next Elder Training is Tuesday, October 8th at 7 pm at the Bronleewes’ house. We’ll continue our study in 1 Timothy 6. Please contact Pastor Dave if you have any questions or need a copy of the homework.Life Groups: If you’re interested in joining a life group, we have several to choose from. You can check them out here: Request Prayer: It’s important for us to be praying for each other as a church! If you ever need prayer, we would love to come alongside you. You can always turn in a prayer request on Sundays using the Connection Card, but you can also submit a prayer request online at any time: Upcoming Dates: No Youth Group (October 6th), Men’s Hike (October 19th) This Coming Sunday: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW5IMNeRoI99I-QNoGMnuWDy6Y5svTt_c | ||
to do Justice, and to love Mercy, and to walk Humbly with your God
