Good morning all!
Father, empower us today to see Your goodness all around us and to know You are Large and in Charge of our life. Help us Lord to see this world through the eyes of thanksgiving, to know that we have more than enough because You are more than enough. We will give thanks in ALL things because of Who you are, Amen.
Micah 7
1 Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: [there is] no cluster to eat: my soul desired the first ripe fruit.
Woe is me, when I look to gather fruit and try to find the best of the vineyard yet I can’t find a good one, my soul desires something better.
2 The good [man] is perished out of the earth: and [there is] none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
They can’t find a good man in the earth, there is none that really does the right thing, so they all hide and wait to find something wrong, and they look to trap their own family with a net.
3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge [asketh] for a reward; and the great [man], he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.
They expend all their energy and thinking because they’re in charge, they know better and look for what’s owed to them, they go from one thing to another so they can grab hold of it.
4 The best of them [is] as a brier: the most upright [is sharper] than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen [and] thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.
The best they can offer is a brier, they think they are better but all they can offer is a sharp thorn but when the watchmen pays them a visit their world will get turned upside down.
Bottom line
As we enter this thanksgiving season I pray we can all give thanks to God for whatever you have and wherever He has you this day, give thanks. Micah is warning us this morning, he’s warning us against a lifestyle that does NOT give thanks. And why? Pretty simple, it’s a trap that so easily besets us according to scripture…the trap is a life that’s NOT quite good enough. What’s not good enough? Dinner…weather…house…bank account…job…boss…family…friends…drum roll please…God. The good man is perished from the earth, we can’t find him. Why? Because we don’t think the people in our life measure up, they fall short of our expectations. Now it’s not that no one is good, the issue is we don’t have a HEART of thanksgiving… we have a heart of NOT good enough. The problem with that kind of heart, that lifestyle…NOTHING will ever be good enough and we will NOT experience the peace and joy of Christ…woe is me. And we all lay our nets, with our brother first…our families…we lie in wait for blood…we find the things that bother us about them instead of looking for their true measure.
[Rom 12:3 KJV] For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath given to every man the measure of faith. There you have it, why aren’t the people in our life good enough? Because we THINK more highly…better than but if we would THINK soberly and NOT high minded using the worldly measuring stick, instead use God’s measuring stick that He has given to EVERY man…ALL…which is FAITH. When we believe things or people are NOT quite good enough, we need God to change the way we look at life. Really it’s an indictment against Jesus Christ himself when we live with a “woe is me” mentality, the measure is faith. What was the measure of His faith? Calvary…when that’s NOT good enough nothing in our life will be good enough. Here’s a thought, what if “that’s NOT good enough” was crucified on Calvary? What if Jesus actually set us free from that bondage, from a prison mentality that lies in wait for blood to crucify others because there just NOT good enough. When we think like that the best we have to offer God and the people in our life is thorns and briers. Didn’t Jesus say don’t worry about the speck in your brother’s eye, instead take the log out of your own eye. The greater sin is the one who thinks that’s NOT good enough, we say God you don’t know what you’re talking about I know what I saw. That’s when we need a visitation from God to turn our world upside down, we find ourselves a bit “perplexed” because EVERYTHING changes even though nothing has changed. I’m reminded of the Shulamite woman whose only son died and on her way to meet with Elisha she meets his servant; he asks her how are you doing? Her response, “IT IS WELL”. Fair to say her world was turned upside down and probably fair to say NOT good enough but that is NOT what she said, why? It’s NOT what she saw…yeah it’s called a life of faith and that’s the only measure. I pray today we would all believe and see that it is well…the life we have is more than good enough.
Point to Ponder
You know what happens when you start to say “IT IS WELL”? [2Ki 4:35 NIV] Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. You breathe NEW life and your eyes are now OPEN…your life is more than enough.
Let’s all give thanks always, In Him Phil
Faith – Family – Friends
