What does God require of us? Micah 6:8. We are to be just, merciful and always, always walk humbly with Him. We know in part what He knows in its fullness. Jesus Christ rights all wrongs. He delivers peace to the earth that God created. Jesus gives us His peace to do His will…we can rest in Him!
Psalm 46:9
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
Justice and peace will reign in God’s Kingdom. God hates pride and arrogance. The problem is not with money. God provides for us and knows that we have needs but He always expects us to share with those who do have enough. He blesses us so that we can be a blessing. The love of money is at the root of all evil. Those who trust in it will be brought low and those who trust in the Lord He lifts up. Carla
1 Samuel 2:2-5
“No one is holy like the Lord,
For there is none besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God
“Talk no more so very proudly;
Let no arrogance come from your mouth,
For the Lord is the God of knowledge;
And by Him actions are weighed.
“The bows of the mighty men are broken,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
5 “Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
And the hungry have ceased to hunger.
Even the barren has borne seven,
And she who has many children has become feeble.
That which is holy is marked off, separated, and withdrawn from ordinary use. Holy is the opposite of profane or common. The image of a rock when applied to God, speaks of His eternality, stability, and reliability (Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Samuel 22:2, 3).
Hannah addressed all the proud, not only Peninnah, but all who boast. Since the God of knowledge knows all things, He will appraise our performance along with our words and our promises.
Hannah mentioned three examples—military power, wealth, and the birth of children—of how God reverses human circumstances, humbling the proud and exalting the lowly. Mary made the same point in her song (Luke 1:46–55). The NKJV Study Bible
The Hebrew word used here for His anointed one, mashiach, in 1 Samuel 2:10 often translated as messiah, refers to a king in this instance; Israelites anointed their kings with oil (10:1; 16:13; Psalm 2:2). Over time, this same Hebrew term would come to refer to a coming anointed one of God—called the Christ in Greek (Mark 1:1). Faithlife Study Bible
Exodus 15:11
“Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods?
Who is like You, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Jeremiah 15:9
“She languishes who has borne seven;
She has breathed her last;
Her sun has gone down
While it was yet day;
She has been ashamed and confounded.
And the remnant of them I will deliver to the sword
Before their enemies,” says the LORD.
Psalm 37:15
Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
Psalm 113:9
He grants the barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the LORD!
“The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as we have defined it.” (Thank you David W. Orr)
But here’s my confession. There are days when I want to give in to mental exhaustion. And I know from experience that if I do give in, I begin to believe (and internalize) that empathy can be overwhelmed, that compassion can seem helpless, that suffering can be too much to comprehend, and that the level of public quarrel is too much to absorb. Mercy.
And it doesn’t help that we look for comfort through orchestrating our world—wanting all ducks carefully and neatly in a row. And then... life happens.
"Life," Lucy tells Charlie Brown, “Is like a deck chair."
"Like a what?" asks Charlie Brown.
"Like a deck chair. Some people put their deck chair at the front of the ship so they can see where they are going. Some people put their deck chair at the rear of the ship so they can see where they've been. On the cruise ship of life, Charlie Brown, which way is your deck chair facing?"
"I haven't figured out how to get mine unfolded yet." says Charlie Brown.
Ahhhh. Wisdom. Bless you Charlie Brown.
Peacemakers always find a place at the table for anyone left out. Find a place for anyone on the outside. Find a place for anyone excluded.
Peacemakers know that every gesture of kindness and compassion makes a difference. Sabbath Moments
Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Jesus invited those who are weary to come to Him for rest.
We all need rest. And sometimes it feels more like a battle than a vacation or a nap. Thankfully, Jesus provided rest for His disciples in Matthew 11:28-30, and He invites "all who labor and are heavy laden" today to that same deep soul rest.
In Matthew 10:5-8, Jesus had sent out His disciples in pairs to proclaim His Kingdom as they healed the sick and drove out demons. They met crowds clamoring for help. They sometimes encountered faith and other times rejection (Matthew 10:12-15). The miles traveled, endless needs, and blatant unbelief would have taken a toll on their emotions and bodies.
Then in Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invited His weary disciples to come to Him, promising He would give them rest... it was a deep, satisfied rest after accomplishing a necessary task. As the Topical Lexicon describes, "rest is not escapism but preparation for further obedience." In Matthew 12, more crowds would press in to be healed by Jesus. More work was coming. So right now, the disciples needed rest.
Jesus anchored His promise of rest in three truths about His identity:
1. Jesus was not like the religious leaders of His day who loaded people with spiritual burdens too heavy to carry (Matthew 23:4-7).His "burden is light" (Matthew 11:30).
2. Jesus is "gentle and lowly" (Matthew 11:29). He is not harsh, but neither is He weak. The word "lowly" speaks of humble reliance on the almighty God, and Jesus relied on the Father and was led by the Spirit.
3. Jesus' promise of rest is also connected to Jeremiah 6:16, a prophecy about how God's people could follow His "ancient paths" to "find rest for [their] souls." Jesus is that good path.
For all who are weary, these truths also call us to receive rest from Jesus in three ways:
1. First, we "come" to Him (Matthew 11:28). True rest will never happen outside of a relationship with Christ. But if we seek Him, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).
2. Secondly, we "take [his] yoke" (Matthew 11:29). Picture a wooden bar across your shoulders, balancing baskets on either side. In Christ, this "yoke" of our work or calling is well-fitting, and the burden that comes with it is manageable. Why? Because Christ bears it with us and for us.
3. Finally, Jesus invites us to "learn from" Him (Matthew 11:29). We are to experience life, engage in ministry, and do our work as He does.
When we come to Jesus and take His yoke, we learn how to become gentle and humble like Him. And we receive what our busy and rushed souls crave: true rest. First5
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