Not Far

"It is not far to go
for you are near.
It is not far to go,
for you are here.
And not by travelling, Lord,
men come to you,
but by way of love,
and we love you." - Amy Carmichael

Acts 17:27 - "God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us."

Living in Grace
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Follow the Leader

We all played the game 'follow the leader' as kids. The rules are simple - where the leader goes, we go! In today's Scripture, Micah tells the nation of Israel that in the future they will follow God again. Once the Messiah has broken through the gates of oppression and set them free, the nation will walk in God's ways again.

"Then I, God, will burst all confinements
    and lead them out into the open.
They’ll follow their King.    I will be out in front leading them." - Micah 2:13 (The Message)

Although we usually focus a lot of the image of the Christ-child at Christmas, we should never lose sight of the fact that Jesus grows up to lead his disciples and to call us all to follow him. Jesus is our King and he invites us to follow him. 

Matthew 16:24 (Message) - Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how.

Living in Grace
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The Breaker

 

"The One who breaks open the way will go up before them;
    they will break through the gate and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
    the Lord at their head." - Micah 2:13

The image of the Lord breaking open a way for us to be set free is so powerful. Micah pictures the Saviour breaking through the gates and leading the people to their freedom. 

Advent is period of waiting where we know that in the end Jesus Christ will 'Break Open' the gates of heaven and will become one with us. The Word made flesh (the Incarnation of Christ) is arguably the most profound evidence of God breaking through for us.

What is making you feel trapped today? What walls have you built around your heart? Will you allow the Messiah to break open a way for you today?

Living in Grace

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A new kind of Gathering

“Someday, O Israel, I will gather you;
    I will gather the remnant who are left.
I will bring you together again like sheep in a pen,
    like a flock in its pasture.
Yes, your land will again
    be filled with noisy crowds!" - Micah 2:12

I wonder what Micah had in mind when he pictured the people of Israel being gathered together again. Was it just an image of what he had already seen, or was it something that was totally new and almost unbelievable?

When we gather together this Christmas period, whether it is with family and friends, or even in our Church communities, take a moment to imagine what our Heavenly gathering will look like. I echo Paul's words (1 Corinthians 2:9), where he says:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him.

Living in Grace
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Restorer par excellence

Isaiah 58:12 - "Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."

I love this scripture. It clearly speaks of a God who delights in restoring and repairing broken people and nations. Where most of us couldn't be bothered to rebuild, repair or restore, Advent teaches us that Jesus offers to do all three.

Don't give up if you are feeling a little tatty and broken - God is our Restorer par excellence.

Living in Grace

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Lying awake at night

 

"How terrible it will be for you to lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans." - Micah 2:1

I am sure there are many of us who can relate to lying awake at night not able to sleep. It is funny how all our problems seem a whole lot worse when we think of them in the dark!

In Micah's day there were many evil people who used their sleepless nights to do harm instead of planning to do good. I believe his challenge to us is rather use those bleak times, in the middle of the night, to make Godly plans and not selfish plans that will harm others.

Galatians 5:4-6 (Message)
"I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love."

God's plan was always to bring hope and peace to our broken world, although I am sure there were moments when God could have chosen to forget us as the world was such a mess.


Living in Grace
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The Reason behind it all

"All this is because of Jacob's transgression, because of the sins of the house of Israel." - Micah 2:5

When Micah prophesies that the Lord will come in all his power and might, he tells the people the reason for his coming. It is because of the sins of the people. As much as God warned the people of what was to come, they still chose to ignore him. As a result of this, they would reap what they had sown.

Paul wrote about a similar thing when he wrote to the church in Rome:

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23

The greatest gift we are given this Advent is the gift of Jesus, God's precious son. God's knows of each one of our sins, but he extends his love to all who would believe and receive him.

Living in Grace
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