Jan. 4th, 2016 Psalm 98

Jan. 4, 2016 Psalm 98

1 Sing to God a brand-new song.
He’s made a world of wonders!
He rolled up his sleeves,
He set things right.
2 God made history with salvation,
He showed the world what he could do.
3 He remembered to love us, a bonus
To his dear family, Israel—indefatigable love.
The whole earth comes to attention.
Look—God’s work of salvation!
4 Shout your praises to God, everybody!
Let loose and sing! Strike up the band!
5 Round up an orchestra to play for God,
Add on a hundred-voice choir.
6 Feature trumpets and big trombones,
Fill the air with praises to King God.
7 Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause,
With everything living on earth joining in.
8 Let ocean breakers call out, “Encore!”
And mountains harmonize the finale—
9 A tribute to God when he comes,
When he comes to set the earth right.
He’ll straighten out the whole world,
He’ll put the world right, and everyone in it.

Sometimes I just love the way the Message breaks things down.
While it isn't an actual translation it is a tool to help explain things.

God's judgement, his love, his worthiness of our praise... it never ends.

This passage calls us and the earth to rejoice in our God through songs, words, talents, etc!  LET IT LOOSE!
But what are we celebrating?
That God will return!
And that God will be the judge....

WAIT A SECOND!!!
We hate to be judged.  We say "How dare you Judge me..."
We even miss use scriptures often to say that we shouldn't judge others...
(That would be a whole other post, but there are two key scriptures... one in context is talking about Christians to the world and not to judge those who are not saved... but then Christians to each other are called to hold each other to a higher standard out of LOVE! So we are to be accountable to each others as Christians...)

Yet we are to celebrate that GOD is coming again to Judge us.  To hold us accountable.  To reward and to punish.

That is a sobering thought for some but a freeing and joyful thought for others.
No matter what we have done God is righteous.  He is FAIR.  He is JUST. HE is love.  And for all of us who call him Lord, who seek to give him lordship over our lives, who live in such a way to bring him praise...  though we face trials and may give into sin we still have a God who listens to our call for forgiveness and FORGIVES!
This is a judge that I can freely lay my life at His MERCY and trust that He will be JUST.

Are you ready to rejoice in that God?

What the Lord Requires by James C. Howell

I recently received a small booklet entitled “What the Lord Requires” by James C. Howell.  I received it free from the publisher in order to read and post a review.

This was a very short and simple read.  It was theological yet practical in it’s look at who was the Prophet Micah and what is behind his statement to “Do Justice, love Mercy and Walk humbly with your God.”

The Author did a decent job of detailing the time and scope of the original message and then went into the thoughts behind the three things mentioned in the verse.

Here is what the publisher had to say:

Veteran pastor and scholar James C. Howell skillfully unpacks one of the most powerful verses in the Old Testament, Micah 6:8: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" In a concise yet engaging manner, Howell illuminates the original context in which this verse was written, asking questions such as:

• Who was Micah?
• What was going on when he spoke?
• How did his listeners receive what he said—and how do we?
• Who is this God who requires?
• What might justice, kindness, and humility look like for us today?

Howell draws his readers into the original experience of the prophet's audience, and demonstrates how Micah's message can still guide us in our lives today.
A Leader's Guide is also included in this book, making it a wonderful resource for both group and individual use.
James C. Howell is Senior Pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is the author of a number of books including The Will of God: Answering the Hard Questions; The Beatitudes for Today; and 40 Treasured Bible Verses: A Devotional, all published by Westminster John Knox Press.

So in summary: If you want a detailed book on Justice, check out a different title.  If you want a brief look at an obscure prophet of the Bible, then you found the right book.