May 14th

[JamesAdmin]

Scripture Passage: Micah 6:3-8;

“O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.”

"With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

The context is that God is bringing a charge to Israel, as if they are in a court room setting - with God as the plaintiff and Israel as the defendant. They are charged with the question, "What have I done to you? How have I burdened you?"
-Essentially stating, what did I do that you would commit your rebellious and treacherous acts against me? What fault did you find in me? Alluding to Jeremiah 2:5, "Thus says the LORD: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?"

And in light of this, Micah responds on behalf of his people - as if he were a high priest that would intercede on Israel's behalf. He basically is asking, what kind of sacrifice is required in order that God would be pleased? Should we offer sacrifices of burnt offerings, calves, or oil? Or should we even offer our children as a sacrifice?
-In verse 8, after this dialogue that he has, he states, that God has already revealed what He requires/expects of us, which is to do justice, love kindness and to walk with Him.

I think that we often characterize our relationship with God to be some sort of mechanical agreement - where we would perhaps offer him our good works in order that we would please Him. This characterizes God as someone that we constantly have to seek after for approval. Yet we've been liberated from this, knowing that Christ has satisfied all of the wrath that was to come. Yet, we are called to be in relation with God, on a deeper and intimate level. God expects for us to walk with Him, to love Him and to love kindness and to do justice. It is the relational element that God seeks, rather than the trade-mentality we usually make for ourselves.
-Hanna, please pray that I can enter a deeper relationship with God, rather than offering religious acts of service. Not that these things are wrong, but they're wrong if I substitute them for the actual relationship. I would want myself to have a greater prayer life, not seeing it as a duty rather my daily conversation with God.

Hope you're feeling better! Love you so much, hope this week goes by quickly!

[hannaleeAdmin]

Passage: 1 Peter 2

If I'm being honest I read the passage but didn't really process it properly so I don't have much to say
but basically what I'm getting from this is that false prophets/teachers are really really bad!

blaspheme: speak irreverently about God or sacred things
- this word was mentioned several times throughout this passage and I'm guessing it's suuper important to speak good and true things about God

sorry for the half-ass, love you goodnight!