Bible Scripture Reading

"Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 1 July 2013, from Cindi, a Daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords"

Today's Blogs Title: "Zion's Future Triumph"
Today's Blogs Scripture Reading: Micah 4:1-13
Today's Blogs Key Verse: Micah 4:6-7 "In that day," says the LORD, "I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast And those whom I have afflicted; I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcast a strong nation; So the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever."

The phrase "in the last days" as well as a comparison with other prophecies like Isaiah 2:2-4, indicates that the prophet is looking beyond the restoration from the Babylonian captivity to the days of the Millennium when everything given to Abraham and to Israel will be ultimately be fulfilled.  In God's vision of the future, prophecy tells us what the world should be like, as well as what it will be like.  We are each to evaluate present realities against what God's prophet's should be.

In verse 4, the "vine" and "fig tree" are both native to Israel.  They flourish into luxuriant, natural arbors under which people can sit and enjoy fellowship while being shaded from the heat of the day.  Both were used symbolically to represent the basic covenant between God and Israel in all its potential fruitfulness. 

One major element of the world foreseen by the prophets is its utter peacefulness.  Disputes will be resolved by appeal to God's Word, not war.  But peace is an idea that can only be realized when God sets up His kingdom on earth.  Until then man's passions will generate wars and rumors.  Peace will be the dream of all, but every dreamer will be awaken to the reality of strife.  The fact of war in our present world, and the vision of a world without war, drive home the fact that humanity is lost in sin.  The world as well as the individual desperately needs a Savior.
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In the Old Testament, "Horns in iron" in verse 13, generally symbolize power, and iron horns, dominant power.  The people whose sins makes them easy prey for the nations will one day be exalted above them, after they have been redeemed, verse 10.

Click on this link www.cindi-davis.blogspot.com for a Bible Verse Writing from Galatians 5:22-23.

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day.  Go In Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness.  Love God More Today.  ALWAYS remember that when you have a spiritual, emotional, relational, physical, or financial dilemma in your life, and you yell out, "I CAN'T," Listen to the Sweet and Soft Voice of God as He WHISPERS to you, "BUT I CAN."

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi

Bible Scripture Reading

"Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 21 July 2013, from Cindi, a daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords."

Today's Bible Verse: Isaiah 46:9-10 "Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; For I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times that are not yet done, saying "My counsel shall stand, and I will do my pleasure."

Wow!! God makes it clear in these verses that He is GOD and that there is NO ONE like Him.  The future is a mystery to us, for we can make educated guesses on what the next few years may hold, but to accurately predict what may lay ahead 20, 100, or thousands of years into the future is beyond our ability.  That is why the stunning accuracy with which God's prophets predicted the future, is one of the most convincing evidences of the supernatural origin of God's Word.

Isaiah in today's verses, explains God's ability to predict the future.  God is God!! He is able to "make known the end from the beginning" and "from ancient time" to predict "what is still to come."  He established purposes for the universe, and He is POWERFUL enough to guarantee that His PURPOSES will STAND.

The attributes of God in verse 10, describe Him as "Omniscience" and "Omnipotent."  These Latin terms affirm that God knows all and that He is ALL POWERFUL.  We as Christians shouldn't be surprised that the Bible contains accurate predictions of future events.  God, who KNOWS ALL and CONTROLS ALL, is the source of what truly is the Word of God.

The rhetorical question, "To whom will you liken to Me?" is one in which the obvious answer is: "NO ONE!!!"  "I Am God and there is NONE LIKE ME."  Yahweh is the unique and incomprehensible God.  His uniqueness is His declaring "the end from the beginning."  His singular distinctiveness is his ability to predict the future with complete accuracy.  Since He alone knows the future, the SALVATION of the Lord shall not tarry, Hebrews 2:3 and 10:37.  In the timetable of God, "ALL THINGS" are proceeding on schedule.  So the question for us today as Christians is: If our Almighty God knows the future, why do we insist on worrying about the future, in which we do not know what it will hold? Jesus in Matthew 11:28 tells us, "Come to me ALL who are burdened and heavy laden, and I will give you REST." 

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day.  Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness.  Love God More Today.  ALWAYS remember, that when you have a spiritual, emotional, relational, physical, or financial dilemma in your life, and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD WHISPERS to you, "BUT I CAN."

Click on this link at www.cindi-davis.blogspot.com for a Bible Verse from Proverbs 9:1.  

Jesus Reigns, and He Is, Has been, and ALWAYS Will Be In Complete and Total Control!!! May God's Love, Peace, and Grace be with you all.

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi

Bible Scripture Reading

"Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus for 27 June 2013, from Cindi, a Daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords."

Today's Blogs Title: "Wicked Rulers and Prophets"
Today's Blogs Scripture Reading: Micah 3:1-12
Today's Blogs Key Verse: Micah 3:4 "Then they will cry to the LORD, But He  will not hear them; He will even hid His face from them; He will hide His face from them at that time, Because they have been evil in their deeds."

In context "Justice" in verse 1, is honest government which is fair to rich and poor alike.  The image of tearing flesh from the poor graphically, communicates the prophets point: corrupt and evil government officials use their position for personal gain rather than to serve the people.

In verse 4, the wickedness of the people was so great that last minute repentance would not suffice.  Peace in verse 5, means much more than the absence of war.  It also means health, wholeness, and security.  While the other prophets lied to Israel about its spiritual condition, Micah spoke out powerfully for "justice" and "declared to Jacob (Israel)" its sins. 

Today when religious leaders turn a blind eye to corruption and evil in society, they too become partly responsible for it.  The motives and lies of religious leaders of the prophet's day are described in verses 9-12.

The covering of their lips in verse 7, means that they will be put to shame and will show this shame openly by covering their lips, which was an oriental gesture to indicate shame and mourning.

The wicked leaders and prophets of Israel "worked" only when the could gain something from it.  Needless to say, if justice had to be paid for, it would not be justice.  Many people of Jerusalem believed that they would not be affected by God's judgment, because God Himself dwelled in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.  They reasoned that despite their evils, as long as God was in His temple, they were safe, even from "divine judgment."

What the people refused to believe was that God "might leave" His temple because of the sinfulness of the people.  In the Book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel describes a vision of the Glory of God leaving the temple as a prelude to His judgment on the city of Jerusalem.  

Verse 12, was quoted by Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 26:18.  While the false prophets and the wicked rulers believed that they were untouchable and that Mount Zion was inviolable, the prophet Micah announced that Zion (Jerusalem) would "be plowed like a field," indicating complete devastation of the city.

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. Love God More Today. ALWAYS remember, that when you have a spiritual, emotional, relational, physical, or financial dilemma in your life, and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD WHISPERS to you, "BUT I CAN."

Jesus Reigns, and He Is, Has Been, and ALWAYS Will Be In Complete and Total Control. May God's Peace and Grace be with you all.

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi


 

Bible Scripture Reading

"Greetings in the Name of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ for 17 April 2013, from Cindi, a Daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords."

Today's Blogs Title: "The People In Nineveh Believe"
Today's Blogs Scripture Reading: Jonah 3:1-10
Today's Blogs Key Verse: Jonah 3:10 "Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and God relented from the disaster that He said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it."

Jonah's new commission in verse 1, was essentially that same as the one that he had received in 1:1-2.  In contrast  to 1:3, Jonah obeyed the command of the Lord the second time and made the journey to Nineveh. 

The city wall of Nineveh had a circumference of about 8 miles, which indicates Nineveh was an exceeding large city for those times.  The reference to "three day" in verse 3, likely refers to the larger administrative district of Nineveh made up of several cities, with a circumference of about 55 miles.

Jonah in verse 4, proclaimed that they were only "forty days' before the destruction of Nineveh.  Both the announcement and the specified delay show God's Mercy.  It was this Mercy that bothered Jonah.

The term used for God in verse 5 is the general term for deity.  In contrast the sailors who threw Jonah into the ocean in chapter 1, claimed faith in the Lord, using the personal, covenant, name for God.    

The reversal of the threat to destroy Nineveh depended solely on the grace and mercy of the Lord.  At times, the announced judgment of God is "not" His real intent.  Such announcements usually include offers of mercy and forgiveness.  The people of Nineveh, in verse 10, repented and moved the Lord to extend Grace and Mercy to them.

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. ALWAYS remember, that when you have a spiritual, emotional, relational, physical, or financial dilemma in your life, and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD WHISPERS to you, "BUT I CAN."  

Jesus Reigns, and He Is, Has Been, and ALWAYS Will Be, in Complete and Total Control.  May God's Love and Grace be with you all!!!  

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi

 

Bible Scripture Reading

"Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 26 June 2013, from Cindi, a daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords."

Today's Blogs Title: "Israel Restored"
Today's Blogs Scripture Reading: Micah 2:1-13
Today's Blogs Key Verse: Micah 2:12 "I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, Like a flock in the midst of their pasture; They shall make a loud noise because of so many people."

The social injustice emphasized in verses 1-5, is that of the wealthy who defrauded the poor of their ancestral lands to build great estates.  in most of Israel's history, agriculture was the basis of prosperity.  When families were driven from their land, a poverty class was created.  The exploitation of these newly poor by the rich characterized the mid eighth century.

In verses 6-11, even those who were supposed to be prophets, rebuked Micah, and urged him not to preach.  This despite the fact that the greedy rich treated passersby's as enemies to be stripped of loot, and even drove widows from their homes.  Why would the prophets rebuke a man who so clearly was doing God's work?  Because they wanted to share in the financial prosperity  of the wicked who paid their salaries.  We as Christians need to be careful not to mimic false teachers.  We must seek God's truth boldly, not considering possible personal financial loss.

Verses 12 and 13, is a reference to Israel's Messiah, Jesus Christ, who will break down every obstacle between the people and their God.  He will restore them, forgive their sins, and implant within them a new heart.  Jesus will gather Israel's survivors and personally lead them to an era of rest.

Click on this link www.cindi-davis.blogspot.com for a Bible Verse Writing from Psalms 34:4-7.

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. Love God More Today.  ALWAYS remember, that when you have a spiritual, emotional, relational, physical, or financial dilemma in your life, and you yell out, "I CAN'T, GOD WHISPERS to you, "BUT I CAN."

Jesus Reigns, and He Is, Has Been and ALWAYS Will Be In Complete and Total Control.  May God's Love and Grace be with you all!!!

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi

Bible Scripture Reading

"Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 26 April 2013, from Cindi, a Daughter of the King of King and Lord of lords."

Today's Blog Title: "The Coming Judgment of Israel"
Today's Blog Scripture Reading: Micah 1:1-16
Today's Blog Key Verse: Micah 1:3-4 "For behold, the LORD is coming out of His place; He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.  The mountains will melt under Him, and the valleys will split, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place."

Micah means, "Who is like the Lord?"  This question presents a major Biblical theme, the idea that God is incomparable.  Micah's ministry centered on the Assyrian threat to Samaria, the  capital of Israel that was destroyed in 722 B.C., and Jerusalem, the capital of Judah.   

In verse 2, all the earth was to know that God was witnessing against His people.  The announcement of judgment is based on the people's breach of the covenant.  The faithlessness of the people provoked the "Lord God" to enter into a judicial dispute with them.

"The Lord is coming," is the language of epiphany, the dramatic coming of God to earth, here in a solemn procession of judgment.  The expression "high places" is ironic.  Jerusalem and Samaria were the "high places," or "evaluated capitals" of Judah and Israel; but "high places" were also sites of idolatrous worship.

"Jacob," in verse 5 is used to refer to the northern kingdom, Israel, whose "transgression" was centered in its capital Samaria.  Judah's sins were centered in its capital Jerusalem.  In this verse, the intent of the term "high places," is made plain.  Jerusalem, which was once "beautiful in elevation," was nothing more than another platform of pagan worship, like the "high places" of the Canaanites.

God's judicial decision was to destroy Samaria so thoroughly that it would be a place fit only for vineyards among the rubble.  Idolatry is often described in the Hebrew Bible as spiritual adultery.  Israel is pictured as a wife who is unfaithful to her husband.

Micah's immediate response to God's message was an overwhelming sense of dread.  Micah's words in verse 8, describe mourning rites in which the outer garments were laid aside in deep humility  The mourning person thought no longer about himself but the calamity that had overcome his senses.

The name "Shaphir" in verse 11 means, "Beautiful."  Ironically, its inhabitants would be shamed by their nakedness.  The name "Zaanan," speaks of "sheep" who "go out on their own."  However, this would be longer the case for the citizens  of Zaanan, who would no longer go out because of their fear.

"Maroth" in verse means "Bitterness."  The name "Jerusalem"  suggests "Peace."  Thus the inhabitants of the town of "bitterness" would be sickened with dread and the inhabitants of the town of peace would experience God's judgment.

In verse 13, Lachish, the famous guard city to Jerusalem was judged as being among the first places in Judah to adopt the sins of Baal worship.  The words "heir" and "the glory of Israel" might lead one to assume that this is a messianic verse, a promise of hope in the midst of despair, yet in verse 16, the context is judgment.  The point here may be that the situation would be so bad that the proper heir and glory of the nation, the members of the royal family, would have to flee in terror to remote hiding places. 

In verse 16, in a culture in which a man's hair was highly valued, to "cut off" one's "hair" was the ultimate sign of mourning.

Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. Love God More Today.  ALWAYS remember, that when you have a spiritual, emotional, relational, physical, or financial dilemma in your  life, and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD WHISPERS to you, "BUT I CAN."

Click on this link www.cindi-davis.blogspot.com for a Scripture Reading from Romans 8:38-39.

Jesus Reigns, and He Is, Has Been, and ALWAYS Will Be, In Complete and Total Control!!!

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi



 

  

 

Bible Scripture Reading

"Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for 20 April 2013, from Cindi, a Daughter of the King of kings, and Lord of lords."

Today's Blog Title: "Introduction into the Book of Micah"

Today, we will begin with an Introduction to the 5th Book of the Minor prophets, the Book of Micah.  Old Testament Prophets are often thought of as providing not much more than "doom and gloom" predictions, but the Book of Micah presents an impassioned and artistic interplay between oracles of impending judgment and promises of future blessing on Israel and Judah, for the peoples of both nations had broken covenant with God.  Through His messenger Micah, God confronted His people, but He also promised to bring future blessing through the One who would be coming.  This One would be the true Shepherd of God's flock. 

Much of Micah's prophecy is very severe in tone, though it does contain much beauty similar to that of Isaiah.  In many ways the Book of Micah is a "sister-book" to Isaiah.  It has been called "Isaiah in shorthand."  The theme of the prophecy is sin, judgment, and restoration.  This can be seen by the fact that the book consists of three discourses, each of which sets forth: the sins of the people (2) God's Judgment and (3) God's ultimate restoration of His sinning people.

The author of this prophecy is identified as "Micah the Morasthite."  He was a native of Moresheth-gath in Judah where he prophesied against his own city which did not help in his popularity with the local population.  Micah's name means, "Who is like Yahweh?"   In Chapter 7, verse 8, he apparently plays upon the meaning of his name as he asks the question, "Who is a God unto Thee, that pardons iniquity, and passes by the transgression?"

The purpose of the Book of Micah, and his prophecy, is to face the people with their sins and to speak the word of God's judgment that must fall because of their persistent sinning.  Micah completes the purpose of his book by ending each discourse with a word about restoration.  Micah pictures the restoration in two phases: (1) immediately, after the Babylonian captivity and (2) ultimately, at the Millennium.

The key Themes in the Book of Micah are:

Social Sins (Micah 2:2; 3:1-3, 9-12; 6:8): God cannot tolerate corruption in society or in individuals.

The Promised Ruler (Micah 5:1-5): A king to be born in Bethlehem will rule Israel's future kingdom.

God's Moral Requirements (Micah 6:8): Perhaps the Old Testament's simplest, clearest statement of God's expectations of a believer.

Israel's Ultimate Restoration (Micah 7:8-20): A fresh vision of the coming day when God will personally Shepherd His people and exalt them.

The theological Outline of Micah is:

JUDGMENT: Chapters 1-2
PURIFICATION: Chapters 3-5
VICTORY: Chapters 6-7

The Prophet Micah is remembered more for his stunning prediction of the birth of Jesus, and his warm and positive description of a live lived in fellowship with God.  So sit back and get ready for an interesting study into the Book of Micah.

Click on this link at www.cindi-davis.blogspot.com for a Bible Verse Writing from Philippians 4:6-7.


Have a God Filled and Spirit Led Day. Go in Peace and Serve the Lord our God with Gladness. ALWAYS remember, that when you have a spiritual, emotional, relational, physical, or financial dilemma in your live, and you yell out, "I CAN'T," GOD WHISPERS to you, "BUT I CAN."

Your Sister in Christ,
Cindi