Thought for April 23, 2024

  •  1597: Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor" first performed--Queen Elizabeth attends
  • 1789: George Washington moves into Franklin House in NY, the first official Presidential residence
  • 1861: Robert E Lee named commander of Army of Virginia 
  • 1900: First known appearance of the word "hillbillie" [NY Journal]
  • 1939: Ted Williams hits his first home run
  • 1954: Hank Aaron hits first of 755 home runs
  • 1969: Sirhan Sirhan sentenced to death for killing Robert Kennedy--commuted to life
  • 1984: AIDS virus identified as acquired immune deficiency syndrome
  • Born: Shakespeare, James Buchanan, Shirley Temple, Timothy McVeigh [Oklahoma City bombing], John Cena
  • Died: Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, James Earl Ray, Boris Yeltsin
Thought:
Micah chapter 3 ended with a bad picture of Jerusalem's fall about 100 years after Micah wrote.  Today I am reading 4:1-5. How gracious and loving is our God? How forgiving! The destruction and desolation of 3:12 will not last forever. God has a redemptive plan that will not be defeated, even by our disobedience and rebellion. 

As I read these verses, my mind pictures the word of God fulfilled. Jesus said that when He is lifted up, He will draw all men to Himself. Now read 4:1-2. There is a rift in the earth that stretches from Mount Hermon through the Jordan Valley and down the African continent. This is where the African Plate and Arabian Plate meet. Mt. Zion lies along the Jordan rift. Scientist predict a great earthquake along this rift. Now think about Mt. Zion being lifted high and people coming to worship the reigning Lord. 

Why is He coming--to teach us His ways  so that we may walk in them. [4:2] And when we walk in His ways--the way of peace--swords into plowshares, spears into pruning hooks. Why? Those are the tools of the gardener. I have always thought that the Bible's story was the story of how God in His grace and power restored us to His garden. 

Then look at verse 4--in this new place of peace, there will be no fear except for the fear and awe of God Himself. The Prince of Peace has come again and fear has been destroyed. And I love the promise--"for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." We have God's eternal word that this day will come. It may be hard to see now, it may be hard to believe now, but in the last days, we will sing, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone." 

And this is not a short term peace, a cease fire, a truce--read 4:5--we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever. O Happy Day!

Amazing how in 700 BC. God speaks to Micah with words of warning, judgment--but always with the promise of His victorious reign and our eternal peace. How great is our God!

Blessings
Larry

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thought for July 19

History: 1553: Lady Jane Gray deposed after 9 days 1692: 5 people hung during Salem Witch Trials 1848: First women's rights convention -Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Wesleyan Chapel at Seneca Falls NY 1910: Cy Young wins his 500th game 1941: US Army flying school at Tuskegee AL dedicated 1945: USS Cod saves 51 sailors from Dutch sub--only sub-to-sub rescue 1957: Firing of first rocket with nuclear warhead-Nevada 1984: Geraldine Ferraro is first major party female VP candidate 1996: Olympics open in Atlanta 2007: Madmen debuts 2018: Duck Boat sinks in Table Rock Lake killing 17 Born: Samuel Colt, Edgar Degas [painter], Lizzie Borden, Charles Mayo [Mayo Clinic], George McGovern, Al Haig, George Hamilton IV, Vikki Carr, Ilie Nastase, Stuart Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch,  Died: Syngman Rhee [President South Korea], Clyde Beatty [circus animal trainer], Mary Jo Kopechne [passenger with Ted Kennedy], Jack Warden, Frank McCourt [Angela's Ashes], James Garner, Garry Marshall
Read more

Thought for November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving!  1664: Blaise Pascal is converted following a vision. He wrote the date and time of his conversion and said, "Fire. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Not of philosophers and intellectuals. Certitude, certitude, joy, peace. The God of Jesus Christ." Laid the foundation for the law of probabilities; genius in hydrodynamics and hydrostatics developing Pascal's principle of pressure; taught the experience of God through the heart rather than reason; mathematician and philosopher. 1783: Annapolis Maryland becomes U.S. Capitol until June 1784 1863: Patent for making color photographs granted 1889: First jukebox debuts in Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco 1897: Pencil sharpener patented 1904: Summer Olympics in St. Louis close [1st Olymics in U.S.] 1921: President Harding signs an Act prohibiting doctors from prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes 1923: Cecil B. DeMille's first "The Ten Commandments" premiers
Read more

Thought for April 5, 2024

1722: Easter Island discovered 1792: First Presidential veto 1815: Mt. Tambora erupts. Largest eruption ever witnessed. Created year without summer in 1816--frost and snow in North America in June and July. Largest part of eruption on April 10th. Killed 10,000 in initial blast.  1906: Mt. Vesuvius erupts killing 100 1923: Firestone begins producing inflatable tires 1936: Tupelo almost completely destroyed by a tornado--216 die 1972: Baseball strike costs 86 games 2063: On "Star Trek", earth has its first contact with the Vulcan species Born: Thomas Hobbes, Joseph Lister, Booker T Washington, Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Arthur Hailey. Gale Storm, Frank Gorshin, Colin Powell, Pharrell Williams Died: Robert Raikes [Sunday School], Douglas MacArthur, Howard Hughes, Abe Fortas, Sam Walton, Allen Ginsberg, Saul Bellow, Charlton Heston, Honor Blackman Thought: Reading Daniel 1:5-7 this morning. Continuing with the thoughts about Nebuchadnezzar's plan. Having brough
Read more