We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18 NKJV.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 NASB.

As I was praying this morning, I realized that when I keep doing the very things I know are hurting me, it’s like that habit drills down deeper with each use until perfected narrow walls are built up higher and higher; and it gets darker and darker the deeper that habit sinks. And Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, knows. I am so thankful He doesn’t let me stay in that dark pit. As I turn to Him, I see His love lighting the way. And I realize His love has always been there to show me what is real and true so I can finally see. He did that with every prophet He sent. Why do we think God gives correction? Because in our dark pits we can’t see His love clearly. And in our chapter, Micah 1, God is speaking to both Israel and Judah and in Micah’s time as prophet, Israel was taken away captive. The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah – the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Hear, you peoples, all of you, listen, earth and all who live in it, that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple. Look! The Lord is coming from His dwelling place; He comes down and treads on the heights of the earth. The mountains melt beneath Him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope. All this is because of Jacob’s transgression, because of the sins of the people of Israel. What is Jacob’s transgression? Is it not Samaria? What is Judah’s high place? Is it not Jerusalem? v. 1-5. Turning to idols is like prostitution to God. All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will destroy all her images. Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used. Because of this I will weep and wail; I will go about barefoot and naked. v. 7-8. And in the notes below it showed how the towns names sound like words Micah was using, so I will include those names in parenthesis so we can understand…For Samaria’s plague is incurable; it has spread to Judah. It has reached the very gate of My people, even to Jerusalem itself. Tell it not in Gath (Tell); weep not at all. In Beth Ophrah (Dust) roll in the dust. Pass by naked and in shame, you who live in Shaphir (Pleasant). Those who live in Zaanan (Come Out) will not come out. Beth Ezel is in mourning; it no longer protects you. Those who live in Maroth (Bitter) writhe in pain, waiting for relief, because disaster has come from the Lord, even to the gate of Jerusalem. You who live in Lachish, harness fast horses to the chariot. You are where the sin of Daughter Zion began, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you. Therefore you will give parting gifts to Moresheth Gath. The town of Akzib (Deception) will prove deceptive to the kings of Israel. I will bring a conqueror against you who live in Mareshah (Conqueror). The nobles of Israel will flee to Adullam. Shave your head in mourning for the children in whom you delight; make yourself as bald as the vulture, for they will go from you into exile. v. 9-16.

Without Creator God we can’t see what is real and true. We think this broken world we live in is real and true because it’s all we can see and know; until we begin to listen to our Creator. Why do we think it was so startling to the people when the prophets of God spoke to them? Why was what Jesus, the Son, spoke so foreign and rejected by most of the people living in those days…and why do we think His Sermon on the Mount is not doable today? Scripture is given for all people, to all the earth, precisely because it is needed to understand the difference between the darkness of sin and the light of the glory which shall be revealed in us as we choose to welcome the Holy Spirit who will lead us in His fruit – love…joy…peace…patience…kindness…goodness…faithfulness…gentleness…self-control.

What habits was I praying about this morning that keep drilling down into a pit of my darkness not of God’s Spirit? Criticism. Judging. I’ve been doing that all my life. The fruit of the flesh. And God, in His infinite love and patience, helps me by correcting my thinking that it’s okay to criticise and judge harshly… so I can see in the light of His love! God loves what I fear – relationship. Relationship with people just like me…flawed, imperfect, beautiful people. Because it’s through loving each other that we truly begin to love Creator God and share in the joy of His glory living within us as we choose love over hate. That is so worth the correction that is startling and foreign…and liberating and freeing! What if instead of slinging the mud of criticism, judging, hate…we helped one another with washing each others faces, laughing as we do because after all, we mirror one another in our darknesses that need God’s love to cleanse us. Can you imagine? Please try! We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand…And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God! This grace in which we now stand is possible only with Creator God. How do we begin? We take His hand and let Him guide us forward as we listen to His love speaking to our spirit because our spirit longs for what is real and true…our family – Creator God and His children dearly loved, loving Him and loving one another.