Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - WordAction - The Foundry Publishing House of Kansas City, Missouri, United States - The Global Church of the Nazarene for Sunday, 24 December 2017 "Immanuel—Our Hope!" by William R. Carlson - Micah 7:1-7

Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - WordAction - The Foundry Publishing House of Kansas City, Missouri, United States - The Global Church of the Nazarene for Sunday, 24 December 2017 "Immanuel—Our Hope!" by William R. Carlson - Micah 7:1-7
Micah 7:1 Woe to me! for I have become
like the leavings of summer fruit,
like the gleanings when the vintage is finished —
there isn’t a cluster worth eating,
no early-ripened fig that appeals to me.
2 The godly have been destroyed from the land,
there is no one upright among humankind.
They all lie in wait for blood,
each hunts his brother with a net.
3 Their hands do evil well.
The prince makes his request,
the judge grants it for a price,
and the great man expresses his evil desires —
thus they weave it together.
4 The best of them is a briar,
the most upright worse than a thorn hedge.
The time of your watchmen — of your punishment — has come;
now they will be confused.
5 Don’t trust in your neighbor;
don’t put confidence in a close friend;
shut the gates of your mouth even from [your wife],
lying there with you in bed.
6 For a son insults his father,
a daughter rises against her mother,
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law —
a person’s enemies are the members of his own household.
7 But as for me, I will look to Adonai,
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.
---
Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child brings a special joy. Now there is only one more day to wait; tomorrow will be Christmas Day. If you were to ask what they are hoping for, you can only imagine the answers!
The promised coming of the Messiah was the source of great hope for Israel. It was a cause of excitement and wonder. It was a real hope, not a fanciful wish; prophecy had to be fulfilled. A devout Jew named Simeon (Luke 2:25) had been told that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Imagine the anticipation he experienced every day until he held Jesus in his arms!
For Micah, in a time of spiritual chaos and judgment in the nation, his confidence was in the God who had promised he would send Immanuel. The Scripture says that he watched and waited with hope in his heart, confident that God heard his prayer.
You are one day away from the celebration of the birth of Christ. You are one day away from the celebration of the birth of Christ. Looking through the eyes of a believer, you can anticipate His coming with great hope for the future.
---
Hymn for Today: "O Holy Night" by John S. Dwight
1. O holy night! the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope--the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees!
O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
2. Led by the light! of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the Wise Men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend.
He knows our need - to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!
3. Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!

---

Thought for Today: May God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and shalom as you continue trusting, so that by the power of the Ruach HaKodesh you may overflow with hope.(Romans 15:13)
---
Please pray: That many people in India will come to know Yeshua as their Messiah and receive the fullness of the Ruach HaKodesh.
---
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
---