Page 17 - 7-17-15 Friday's Edition

Local
Simple Expectations
more on you than you feel you can bear? God did not fail them or you; in fact He has blessed them and you.
Verses four and five cap- ture the thought of God when He reminds them of what He has done. God re- minds them that He brought them out of Egypt, delivered them from slavery, and sent Moses to help them (vs. 4). If God wanted them to be oppressed He would have left them in slavery. If God wanted you to remain frus- trated because you couldn’t meet your master’s expecta- tions He would have left you in the chaos and mess in which He found you. God did not save you from your sins for you to come into re- lationship with Him to be frustrated, stressed, and de- pressed. He wants to be free and enjoy a new life.
God encourages them to remember that King Balak wanted to curse them because He was in- timidated by them and remember how the
crossed over the Jordan into Canaan (vs. 5). God brings up where you have come from to help you un- derstand where you are. God only wants to show that He has acted on your behalf to putyouinaplacetohavea better life. God wants you “BETTER” and not “BIT- TER”. God has done right by His people and acted with righteousness.
An important note is to be made here. These are not the same people who were in Egypt and enslaved. This is a new generation. The new generation must be re- minded that the life they enjoy today is because of where God brought those who were before them.
The people reply to God by asking, What can we bring to the Lord? Shall we bring burnt of- ferings, sheep, lambs, or our children (vs. 6)? Their reply helps prove that they are with God but do not know or understand God. God has something that is a little less costly than a bull or
your children. This is com- plicating and can cause undue anxiety. A sacrifice for a burnt offering had to be without blemish. Therefore, you would have to find the right one. If you had to offer a child, which one would you offer? Would you offer the one who is failing in school? Or would you offer the one who does not keep his/her room clean or wash the dishes? Well this child is blemished and would not meet the sacrificial criteria.
What God wants is simple. It is easy and painless. As re- payment for all He has done for you and to show your faithfulness and commit- ment God requires three things: 1) Do what is right, 2) Love mercy, and 3) walk humbly before God (vs. 8). God has removed all the guess work. It is no secret nor is it hidden. You do not have to be a prophet or interpret dreams to re- ceive it. You want to know how you can please God, do these three things everyday to the best of your ability.
Many people have made living a Christian life more complicated than it has to be. God has made pleasing Him and meeting His expecta- tions simple for everyone. The world has greater de- mands and is more difficult to please than God. Knowing how simple it is to accom- plish His will in your life, God asks the people two questions observed in this week’s lesson in Micah 6:3-8. Verse 3 - “O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me! In His state- ment God acknowledges them as His people. In previ- ous lessons we saw how God was angry with them for
their behavior, but here He still calls them His people. Although God has to chastise you or punish you, you are still His. God wants to know what He has done to make you turn away from Him. He wants to know if His expec- tations are too hard for you to live up to.
Most people want to know what would make a person want to walk away from them. If you leave a job, they have an exit interview. If a person walks off and leave, you want to know why. God wants to know why you are not being faithful to Him. Why are you not committed to Him like you once were? Do you think He is asking for too much? Has God put
FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-B