Have You Turned Your Back On God?

Listen to what the Lord is saying:

“Stand up and state your case against me.
    Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints.
² And now, O mountains,
    listen to the Lord’s complaint!
He has a case against his people.
    He will bring charges against Israel.

³ “O my people, what have I done to you?
    What have I done to make you tired of me?
    Answer me!
⁴ For I brought you out of Egypt
    and redeemed you from slavery.
    I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.
⁵ Don’t you remember, my people,
    how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed
    and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead?
And remember your journey from Acacia Grove^[a] to Gilgal,
    when I, the Lord, did everything I could
    to teach you about my faithfulness.”

⁶ What can we bring to the Lord?
    What kind of offerings should we give him?
Should we bow before God
    with offerings of yearling calves?
⁷ Should we offer him thousands of rams
    and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
    to pay for our sins?

⁸ No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
    and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
    and to walk humbly with your God.

-Micah 6:1-8 (NLT)

I logged onto biblegateway.com today and Micah 6:8 was the verse of the day. I then looked at the whole chapter, and was floored. It's as if God is speaking to us, right now, today.

God asks, in verse 3, "O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me?  Answer me!" The nation of Israel has a history of turning their backs on God. It's easy for us to condemn them for that. But, the reality is, each of us do the exact same thing. As long as it's easy going, no problems, everything is going well, we sing praises to God, we tell of His goodness. But, as soon as something goes wrong, right away we abandon God. We curse God, we turn our backs on Him. God says, "What have I done to make you tired of me?" Then, in verse 4, God reveals what He has done for Israel, "For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you." For us, God has also brought us out of the slavery of sin. Our Egypt is sin, we were slaves to sin (Romans 6:20). God brought us out of sin, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord! "What have I done to make you tired of me?" Well, what has God done to make you turn your back on Him? He provided salvation to save us from sin. 

Verse 5 says, "Don’t you remember, my people, how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead? And remember your journey from Acacia Grove^[a] to Gilgal, when I, the Lord, did everything I could  to teach you about my faithfulness." Just like people cursed Israel, and said they would never make it, people curse us and say we will never live the life God expects. Look, though, at the end of the verse, "I, the Lord, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness." The God that we praise for being faithful when things are going well, is the same God we say is unfaithful when things turn for the worse. God is faithful, God will always be faithful. Then, verse 8 reveals how we should live. "No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Do we live in this pattern? Do we do what is right? Do you love mercy? Do you walk humbly with God? Not just when things are going well, but 24/7? Think About It. 

God Is Faithful

³ But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one.
-2 Thessalonians 3:3 (HCSB)


I'm going to tell you something that you should already know. God is faithful. God didn't call you into a relationship with Him just to let you wander around aimlessly or to be harmed. What God led you into, He will see you through. That's what Paul is teaching this church.


2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, "But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one." All of us will face times of trial and struggles. It's part of our life. Yet, when that happens, God is faithful. When times of trials and struggles come into your life, don't think that God has left you out there all alone-God is faithful! Verses 1-2 of this chapter says, "Finally, brothers, pray for us that the Lord’s message may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you, ² and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not all have faith." Paul was asking this church for prayer. He was asking them for two specific things. First, that the message they were delivering would spread rapidly. Paul knew what he was called to do. Acts 9:15 says, "But the Lord said to him, “Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to take My name to Gentiles, kings, and the Israelites." Paul was chosen by God to proclaim Jesus to the world. Paul knew that, and Paul wanted to fulfill God's calling on his life. He asked the church to pray that  this message would spread rapidly, so that more and more people come to Jesus. Second, Paul asked for prayer that "we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not all have faith." There are some people that will be hostile toward the preaching of Jesus. Some people will do as much to stop the preaching of Jesus, as others will to preach the name of Jesus. Paul, and his ministry team, needed prayer to keep on doing what God has called them to do. Then we read verse 3.


"But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one." The Lord is faithful. God is faithful at all times. Look at the rest of this verse. "He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one." God will give you the strength to continue in what He's called you to do, in spite of what satan does to sop it. Why? Because God is faithful. Paul met resistance in many places that he brought the Gospel to. Yet, God was faithful, and protected Paul from the fiery darts of satan. And God will do that for you. Why? Because God is faithful. Are you standing firm and strong in God? Or, have you allowed the fiery darts of satan to hinder the will of God in your life? Think About It.