GOD'S LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE

"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." - Zephaniah 3:17

Every person has an innate desire to be loved.  We never outgrow the longing to be wanted, appreciated & loved.  God created us to seek & enjoy relationship with others. 

Despite our desire for love, we must confess that our world is an unloving environment.  Selfishness is prevalent due to sin.  We often get suspicious of strangers who show concern or care for us because we imagine that they have an ulterior motive.  Many do have secret motives, wanting a "favor" in return. 

It is refreshing to open the pages of Scripture and find that God cares for His people.  His love is an unconditional love.  When we think about God's love, we must not confuse His love with His approval.  God's love for His people is unconditional, but His approval may vary, based upon their obedience to Him.

In Zephaniah 3:17, God directed the prophet write the following words to His people, Israel: "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."  Israel had been disobedient to God, but He still loved His people.

Look at the verse again and meditate on the love God has for His people.

1.  GOD'S PRESENCE

First of all, the prophet wrote, "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty."  God was in the midst of His people, Israel.  Today, His people have the promise of His presence, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."  God has not forsaken His people.  Friends may forsake you.  Foes will oppose you.  But God remains the same.  He is present with us right now. 

2.  GOD'S PROMISE

Furthermore, God's love is extended to His people with this promise, "... he will save."  We have Someone who can and will deliver us.  God has not forsaken His own, but offers hope and help to His people through His Word.  It is time for God's people to believe His Word, obey His Word and stand on His Word.

3.  GOD'S PASSION

God cares for His people.  Zephaniah wrote, "... he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."  God's people are very important to Him.  God is not a politician, simply seeking support from people & then dump them when He gets what He wants.  God is always available for His people.  Notice that he rejoices over his people.  Just as an earthly father enjoys watching his children, God enjoys us.  We are His and He is ours.  I believe He enjoys our obedience to Him.  I believe He enjoys seeing us love others in His Name.

Furthermore, His love is not boisterous.  The Bible says, "... he will rest in his love."  In other words, His love is a strong love.  Often, those who have a "boisterous love," don't really love at all.  It is one thing to be noticed for loving others, it is another thing to love for love's sake.  God loves us, not because we deserve it, but because He is love.  Love is the essence of His being.  While I believe that God is holy, righteous, and perfect, it is wrong to forget His loving kindness and tender mercy.

Finally, God expresses His love.  Even though His love is a strong type of love, that does not mean that He refuses to demonstrate His love.  Zephaniah wrote, "... he will joy over thee with singing."  God sings?  That's what this verse seems to indicate.  Some believe that the translation should be more like, "shouts of joy."  In any case, God is not ashamed to demonstrate His love for His people.  We shouldn't be ashamed to demonstrate & declare our love for Him either.

God demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son to die for us.  "But God commendeth (demonstrated) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  God declared His love for us.  God demonstrated His love for us.

The One who knows us best loves us most.  He knows our faults, flaws and sins, & yet He loves us in spite of it all. 

He is a Father who truly loves His children.

HELP FOR HOPELESS TIMES

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.  The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places." - Habakkuk 3:17-19

I live in the mountains of West Virginia.  I love my home state.  There's no place like West Virginia.  In spite of the beauty of this area, we are facing great challenges here.

On one hand, the southern counties of this state have been in an economic depression for some time.  Many have left the area due to a lack of jobs.  The financial strain has been felt at every level.  Things have been rather bleak in this region.

Secondly, many in this area struggle with substance abuse.  Drug use is out of control.  Overdoses are a regular occurrence in this region.  Many of the deaths in our area are due to overdoses.  It is sad to see so many dying without hope.

Finally, and most importantly, we need a spiritual awakening in this region.  There are churches on nearly every corner, but most people do not attend a church.  Although this is a religious region, many are religiously lost.  It is sad that many confuse religion with righteousness.  In spite of good churches regularly preaching the solid Gospel, it seems like most people know the talk of Zion but lack a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.

It would be easy to get down, distraught and discouraged.  Some may have given up on the people of this region.  It could be that many see no hope for West Virginia.  Here's my opinion:  apart from God's intervention, this region (like the rest of our country) has no hope.  Yet, I know that God is able to turn things around.  My faith lies in the power of God and not the opinion of men.

Habakkuk faced a similar situation as he wrote his prophetic book.  Notice the hopeless tone of Habakkuk 3:17:  "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls."  This verse shows that it is possible for a region to face dire circumstances. 

What should we do when times get so bleak?  Look at Habakkuk's response in the following verse:  "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."  Habakkuk lived by faith instead of by sight.  Instead of looking around in despair or looking down without hope, he looked up --- he looked up to the One who would turn things around. 

My faith is anchored in the Solid Rock, Jesus Christ.  I trust the One who holds the future in His hands.  He can do far more than any politician or human "expert."  I know that God can turn things around.

The final verse of the book of Habakkuk demonstrates the kind of faith we need during hopeless times:  "... he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places."  God can lift you up from the lowest position of despair and cause you to experience heights of joy.  Just as a deer can maneuver a steep rock cliff and reach the top of a hill, God can lead you from the lowest valley, through the overwhelming obstacles, and enable you to enjoy the exhilarating pinnacle of victory.

I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I believe God can turn things around.  I trust Him to do that in our region.  Will you trust Him to do the same with your life?

CONSOLATION DURING TRIBULATION

"The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." - Nahum 1:7

So many people that I know are experiencing difficult times.  Some need employment.  Others have severed relationships that seem impossible to restore.  Many have physical problems that are severe --- and in some cases, terminal.  These are wonderful, God-fearing Christians.  They love Jesus and long to please Him.  In spite of what is taught by some televangelists, pain and problems do come to people of faith.

A popular televangelist was quoted as saying, "Your best years are ahead of you."  That is a trite statement that is lacking validity.  The truth is that pain and problems seem to intensify as we get older.  Certainly, eternity is looking brighter all the time for the Christian, but this life can get more difficult as time passes.  Perhaps the pain and struggles we face increase our desire for heaven.  We are not here on earth to stay.  Our affection should be on things above, not on the things of this world.  It is easy for us to consider this world to be our home, but that is a dangerous trap to fall into.  Pain tends to free us from that trap.

It may be that someone reading this message is going through the worst of times.  I offer no prophetic insight concerning your situation.  It may be that the pain you suffer will remain with you until you die.  It could be the terminal disease you've been diagnosed with will take you from this world very soon.  Perhaps the relationship you yearn to preserve will not survive.  I offer no false hope for your situation.  I do know that God is able to reverse the most impossible situation, if He so chooses. 

Instead of offering some stale, useless jargon, I want to point you to the Scripture.  In Nahum 1:7, the Bible says, "The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him."  I want you to dwell on this verse today.  Rather than dwelling on your situation, meditate on the Lord.  

Notice what Nahum wrote about God.  First of all, we learn that God is good.  God is good ... all the time.  The Bible does not tell us that life is always good.  Many times, life is not good.  Yet we can find comfort in the fact that God is always good.  He can be trusted during the most difficult times.  You can trust Him with your problems.  You can trust Him with your future.  In fact, you can trust Him with everything.

Secondly, we learn that God is a hiding place during trouble.  Our text refers to Him as a "strong hold in the day of trouble."  In Biblical times, a strong hold was a place of security, a place of safety during a battle.  We have a hiding place when trouble comes.  We are secure in Him.  You can confide in Christ.  You should abide in Christ.  You should hide in Christ.

Finally, we learn that God knows those who believe in Him.  Nahum wrote, "... he knoweth them that trust in him."  God knows the ones who belong to Him.  He knows you personally.  You are more than just a speck on the seashore of time.  The Lord knows you intimately.  You may feel all alone, dwelling far from your closest neighbor.  You may not receive many phone calls or Christmas cards.  You may be feeling very low.  Yet the Lord knows you.  In fact, He is there with you.  The One who loves you most is always by your side.  Your faith in Him is not in vain.  Your pain may seem unbearable.  Your plight may seem hopeless.  Your problems may seem overwhelming.  Yet God cares about you.  You are not going through these trials alone. 

Life is not easy.  Life is not fair.  But it is reassuring to know that God is with you.  He cares about you and your situation.  He is working in your life, making you more and more like Jesus.  One day, He will deliver you from this veil of tears.  What lies ahead is so glorious that words can hardly describe it.  Paul put it this way, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

Dwell on the goodness of the Lord today.  He never disappoints those who trust in Him.

GOD'S REQUIREMENTS

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" - Micah 6:8

We live in a world of requirements.  When a child is born, a birth certificate is required.  Later, the child is required to have specific inoculations before he is permitted to attend school.  While he is in school, the child is expected to meet or exceed specific requirements before promotion. 

Once he gets to the required age, he must meet certain requirements before getting a driver's license.  He must meet or exceed specified requirements before graduating from high school.  If he attends college, numerous requirements must be met before a college will permit him to enroll.  Then he must meet more stringent requirements before earning a degree.  The college graduate must meet certain requirements before getting a job.  Once he has the job, he must meet or exceed requirements before he advances in his career.

All these requirements seem overwhelming at first glance, but it takes over 20 years to meet them.  Proper planning, self discipline and hard work will help a person meet these requirements.

Most of us never consider that God has requirements that we must meet.  We are so busy trying to meet the requirements set by others that we fail to consider that God Himself requires certain things of us. 

In Micah 6:8, God lists the things He requires of us:  "... what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"  Notice three requirements that God sets:

1.  DO WHAT'S RIGHT

First of all, we are expected to do what is right.  The Bible says, "... what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly..."  Perhaps you think you are meeting this requirement.  Every day you probably make decisions that you think are right.  We need to heed the caution from the book of Proverbs:  "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."  God does not require that you do the things that you consider to be right, but instead, you are required to do the things that He knows to be right.  

2.  TREAT OTHERS RIGHT

The second requirement of the Lord is to treat others right.  We are told to "... love mercy..."  We are expected to treat others the way we want to be treated.  The word, "mercy," indicates that we do not seek revenge or judgment on others.  We are expected to treat others with kindness and grace.  These days, people are committing acts of violence in the name of "racial equality," or "social justice."  Still others are quick to speak unkind words because of political differences.  Americans are far from being kind one toward another.  In fact, we are living in a scary world. 

3.  WALK WITH GOD

Finally, God expects us to walk humbly with Him.  There is a difference between going to the house of God and walking with God.  Religion is much different than righteousness.  It isn't difficult to find someone who is willing to share his or her religious views.  It is a far different thing to find someone who is actually walking with God day by day. 

As we ponder God's requirements, here's what we need to know.  We don't measure up to God's requirements.  The Bible states, "For all have sinned and come short ..."  We always fall short of God's requirements.  How can we ever measure up?  We never can.  In fact, we have no righteousness whatsoever. 

Here's the good news, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ.  Through His death upon the cross, Jesus met the Father's requirements on our behalf.  He did what we could not do.  There is a false teaching that goes like this:  We do our best and God makes up the difference.  Here's the Biblical truth:  we have NOTHING good to bring.  Jesus does EVERYTHING for us because we are morally and spiritually bankrupt on our own.

When we repent of our sins and trust Jesus alone for salvation, His righteousness is imputed to our case.  He doesn't dilute His righteousness with ours.  We are saved by His righteousness alone.  On the cross, Jesus met the requirements that we could never reach.

Now as followers of Christ, the Holy Spirit resides within us.  As we permit the Spirit to fill us, the fruit of the Spirit is exhibited in and through our lives.  In a very overt way, He enables us to do what is right, treat others right and walk humbly with the Father. 

We don't have to live with worry from day to day about meeting the requirements of God.  We simply should allow the indwelling Spirit to demonstrate the requirements that Jesus has already met for us.

What a joy to walk in the Spirit!

  

WHAT MATTERS MOST

"Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:  And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?" - Jonah 4:10-11

I doubt that many people consider Jonah to be among the best preachers of all time.  He rebelled against God, ran from God & stubbornly refused to repent.  It wasn't until a great fish swallowed Jonah that he began to repent.  His repentance led to a second chance at preaching to Nineveh.

Why did Jonah have such a bad attitude?  Throughout the book of Jonah, the preacher seemed to always have a wrong state of mind.  His heart clearly was not where it should have been. 

Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh because it was a Gentile city.  Jonah, like many Jews, looked unfavorably at Gentiles.  Jonah did not have a problem with God's judgment upon Nineveh; he just had a problem with going to the city and preaching to them.  Why?  Jonah knew that God was merciful and that if the people believed the message & repented, God would forgive & not destroy them.  Jonah did not want that to happen.

These days racism has become a major news item once again.  It is important to note that racism existed in Biblical times.  God is opposed to racism.  Jonah was a racist preacher.  After he reluctantly preached God's message of judgment to Nineveh, he went upon a hill that overlooked the city, hoping to get a good view of their destruction.  He had a cold, calloused heart, didn't he?

In response to Jonah's message, the entire city of Nineveh believed and repented.  While we don't think of Jonah as being a great preacher, he is among the few preachers who've preached & seen an entire city be saved.

While waiting on Nineveh's destruction (which never came), God caused a plant to grow quickly.  This plant became a shade tree for Jonah, shielding him from the hot sun.  He was happy to have the plant.  However, God caused a worm to feast upon the plant and it died.  Jonah's frustration reached a peak.  He didn't want to go to Nineveh in the first place.  He didn't want to preach to them.  He didn't want to see them saved.  Just when things seemed to improve with the comfort provided by the plant, its soon demise made him mad.

That's right, Jonah got mad at God.  He even justified himself in his anger.  When God challenged Jonah about his anger, Jonah told the Lord that he felt he had a right to be angry.  Clearly, Jonah's heart wasn't right with God.

In response to Jonah's selfish, rebellious words, the Bible says:  "Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:  And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?"

In essence, God told Jonah that the people of Nineveh were far more important that a measly plant.  A lot of people need this message today.  We treat careers, education, politics, sports, and money with such great dedication, but we do little to help others, encourage people or make the Gospel known to the lost.

Nineveh would have been considered a mega city in Biblical times.  Over 120,000 people lived in Nineveh and all of them were perishing.  God cared for the people of Nineveh ... but Jonah didn't. 

Today, churches are more focused on programs, politics and personalities than the Gospel.  People are dying and going to hell while most church members are playing church.  We are not much better than Jonah.  God have mercy on the American church!

What matters most are the eternal souls of men, women, boys and girls.  A thousand years from now, it won't matter who won a Presidential election this year or who won the World Series.  A thousand years from now, the only thing that will matter is where people will spend eternity.

God has commanded us to go into the world and reach people with the Gospel.  It is not our job to convict or convert sinners.  It is our job to make the Gospel available to them. 

Do you live daily with a passion to make Jesus known to those around you?  Does this passion lead to tangible action? 

There are people around you who need the very same Jesus that you know.  Will you introduce them to the loving Savior? 

That is what matters most.