Back to the Future: Walking with God
Copyright: South Bay Community Church
Sermon Reflections: Back to the Future: Walking with God
Date: 7 January 2024
Speaker: Lead Pastor Tammy Long
Sermon Text: Micah 6:1-8
Sermon Reflections: Back to the Future: Walking with God
Date: 7 January 2024
Speaker: Lead Pastor Tammy Long
Sermon Text: Micah 6:1-8
Sermon Preamble
Happy New Year! We are starting a mini-series of messages titled, “Back to the Future.” To fully experience the future God has in store, it is always positive to go back to review the basics. This principle is illustrated by Vince Lombardi, who was Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers. His opening words on the first day of training camp in July 1961 was his famous quote, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” The players thought they knew what they were doing and already had the basics mastered. The players were ready to pick up where they left off with fresh energy and resolve, but Lombardi had everyone review the basics of football: throwing, catching, blocking, and tackling. But Lombardi knew that to get to where you want to go in the future, you often have to go back and begin again as you strengthen your foundation and focus on what is really important for the future bright with possibilities. The back to the basics strategy paid off. In the next seven years, the Green Bay Packers won five NFL Championships. We can easily get off track when we think we are doing all the right things. The bible in Micah 6:1-8 has a similar illustration of going back to review and embrace the basics to fully experience the future. God takes the people of Israel back to the basics of what God requires and desires. The basics in verse 8 are: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. As we walk humbly with God, doing what is right and seeking to love mercy will follow us as we become more like God. Humbly walking with God means not to walk proudly, but to be wise, intentional, thoughtful, deliberate, attentive, and cautious according to the Will and Way of God. Essential elements of walking with God are known as the Six S’s: 1 Spiritual Retreat (to be done monthly/yearly); 2 Sabbath (to be done weekly), 3 Scripture (to be done daily), 4 Soul Friendship (to be done daily/weekly), 5 Statio (to be done event by event), and 6 Selah (to be done moment by moment). We engage and include God in our daily activities so that God can guide us, shape us, and form us into the glorious future God has planned for each of us.
God inspired Micah to reflect the seriousness of the problem of judgement looming
“Listen to what the Lord is saying: ‘Stand up and state your case against me. Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints.’ And now, O mountains, listen to the Lord’s complaint! He has a case against his people. He will bring charges against Israel” (Micah 6:1-2). God calls the people to attention. Like a command for order in the court, God calls witnesses; the mountains and the hills hear the complaints of the people and the Lord. The court scene is a great way to restate God’s basics to the original hearers. The basic problem was that the people of Israel had not listened to the words and warnings about their disobedient ways. God took the people of Israel into an imaginary court of law with judgement looming on the horizon.
God advances the case of basics and brings the people of Israel along in God’s court argument
“‘O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me’” (Micah 6:3). For any lover of God, the immediate response is that God does nothing wrong. The basic, of a love relationship with God, is that us, not God, is the one messing up the relationship.
In every way, God has kept up God’s part of the relationship in faithfulness to the people of Israel
“‘4For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you. 5Don’t you remember my people, how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead? And remember your journey from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, when I, the Lord, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness.’” (Micah 6:4-5). God recites the ways God has kept up God’s part of the relationship. Just like God is with us, God was faithful in God’s loving kindness and grace. Even if the people of Israel did have an accusation or complaint against God, it would be overruled instantly. This scripture reminds them of all the things God had done, especially God’s faithfulness. With God’s unfailing grace, mercy, and kindness towards us, there is absolutely no case against God that can be made.
The people of Israel still tried to make a case for themselves by feigning ignorance of their disobedience
6” What can we bring to the Lord? Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearly calves? 7Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our first born children to pay for our sins?” (Micah 6:6-7). They pretend that they do not know how to please God. Should we bring you burnt offerings? Should we bow before the Lord with offerings of yearling calves? The truth is that the offerings were probably things they were already doing with the priests, but they were going through the motions, with no heart, soul, or love for God. In verse 7, they get extreme and sarcastic in offering thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of olive oil, and sacrificing first born children.
If this were a TV drama unfolding, the camera would zoom in on the defendant, the people of Israel. It is clear that the people of Israel don’t get it, don’t understand the basics of what God desires, or they don’t want to get the basics of what God desires. Either way, the people of Israel and God are not in agreement on the basics. God lets them know that judgement lies ahead in their future.
In response to their misguided defense, God reminds them God already did and what God already told them. God takes them back to the basics of what is required of them to fully experience their future with God.
God’s basics, then and now are what God desires us to do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with God
“Through Micah, we read, “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what God requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). They have no argument, and they cannot profess ignorance. These basics are what God expects in a committed relationship. It was true for the people of Israel, and it is also true for us today.
As we look toward the future with God in 2024, wherever we are in our life journey, it is always positive and necessary to go back to reexamine and strengthen our relationship with God based on what God requires. As set forth in Micah 6:8, God requires us to do what is right (some translations say to do justice). God also requires us to “love mercy” (some translations say to love kindness). God requires that we walk humbly with our God.
In this message, we will focus on walking humbly with God. As we walk with God, doing what is right and loving mercy will also follow because God is just and loving. We are becoming more like the character of God.
Walking with God has communion with nature and companionship
The walk is more pleasant if you walk with God. There is the added joy of companionship and communion. Humbly walking with God includes walking outside in nature. There’s beauty, movement, exploration and discovery. It can be a challenge if the walk is hard, but peace if the walk is a stroll. God has in mind the joy of being and doing together.
Throughout the Bible, the idea of walking is coupled with close fellowship with God in a meaningful relationship.
Walking with God is synonymous with being in a personal relationship with God in a mutual bond of commitment, faithfulness, and love. Whatever we are doing, wherever we are going, God’s desire is that we walk with God as God walks with us.
“Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). Enoch walked in close fellowship with God. His walk was so close that one day Enoch disappeared because God took him.
At the time of Noah, the Lord saw that “The wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). The world had gone to ‘hell in a handbasket.’ “Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God” (Genesis 6:9b).
One writer put it this way. “Enoch, Noah, and David did not just sit kneel or stand with God (the kind of actions we would often associate with God), but they were also in communion with God.
We also see this with God and Moses in Exodus 33. When Moses wants to know who God will send with him as he leads the people of Israel to the Promised Land, we read, “The Lord replied, ‘I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest – everything will be fine for you’ Then Moses said, ‘If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place’” (Exodus 33:14-15). The Hebrew word translated “go,” can also be accurately translated as “walk.” Replacing “go” with “walk” is what God requires, which requires in mutual intimacy in a committed relationship with God in all aspects of our lives.
Humbly to walk with God is another basic requirement.
The word humble is the opposite of being proud. The idea to walk humbly with God also includes much more such as to walk wisely, intentionally, thoughtfully, deliberately, attentively, and even cautiously according to the Will and Ways of God. Such a walk is humble because it puts the focus on God’s Will. Our will is secondary. Jesus made this clear as our model when Jesus declared, “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will” (John 6:38).
We go back to basics as we go forward with the invitation to remember what God desires
The people of Micah’s day did not get it. Do we get it today? Sometimes, people think they have done what God requires when they join a church, get baptized, take communion, give an offering, or pray over meals. There are all good things, but they are not the heart of what God is seeking. “The Lord has told you what is good and what God requires” (Micah 6:8b).
God is not interested in ritual observances if they do not flow out of a love relationship of walking with God. These rituals can include what we give God, what we sacrifice, or how altruistic or philanthropic we may be not flowing from a love relationship.
God’s requirements are positive and good because God is good. God’s requirements are good for us. These basic requirements are good for us; they are why we were made to walk in alignment with the divine. You were born to walk with God. As we walk with God, we will find what our souls are seeking and longing for: companionship, acceptance, affirmation, healing, peace, purpose, and direction. Jesus says, “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28). As we do, we will grow in trust and grow deeper in love with God and come to know how faithful God is to God’s promises. We serve a loving God who is a giver, but rightfully, God is also seeking a love relationship in return. God requires it.
Walking with God in a loving relationship is a priority
Developing our relationship with God must be our priority. Jesus was God in the flesh and our ultimate teacher through the Holy Spirit. We best connect with God and enjoy God in the ways that God has uniquely wired us. We do it by studying the ways of Jesus and scripture. Also we develop relationships with others by spending time together, learning from, and listening to each other.
Six simple practices to help us walk with God intentionally and mindfully
These simple practices were developed by Bill Gualtiere, co-founder of Soul-Shepherding Ministries. They provide an excellent framework for developing a rhythm of life for walking with God. These practices are back to some basics for going forward into the future. He calls them the six S’s.
The fist S is a spiritual retreat to be done monthly or yearly. It is time to be with God for rest, reading, prayer, journaling, worshipping, and exploring nature. The focus is time to be with God however you best connect with God.
The second S is the Sabbath to be done weekly. The Sabbath is a day of worship and rest with God, family, and friends. It does not have to be on Sunday. Those retired have some flexibility. Taking some Sabbath time is crucial for our bodies, minds, and spirits to recharge with God. The Sabbath is God’s gift for us to enjoy as we walk with God.
The third S is Scripture Reading to be done daily. God’s Word is God’s primary way of communicating with us. It is our guide for living, and it is the way we know God’s story and our story.
The fourth S is Soul Friendships to be done daily or weekly. These are the people in your life who are on this spiritual journey with you to pray with, confess to, and listen to. We need these friendships in our lives to balance us, encourage us, and help us recognize the movement of God. Since we were never meant to do this journey alone, we all need soul friends.
The fifth S is Statio to be done event by event. Statio means pausing after one thing before you start the next. Statio is intentionally creating in between time in order to pause and pray to be ready for whatever you are about to do next.
The sixth S is Selah to be done moment by moment. Selah is to pause, reflect, and pray, like a breath prayer in the moment on something that quickened in your Spirit. Selah is pausing a moment to engage with God as you walk together. The practice of Selah can help us go back to the basics for the future.
The six S’s provide a way of thinking about walking with God. They are done yearly, monthly, weekly, daily event by event, and moment by moment. They are the basics of being with God and being mindful of God’s presence. Engaging and including God in our daily activities so God can guide us, shape us, and form us into the glorious future God has planned for each of us. As we renew our vows through communion, we walk with God and with one another.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FOR USE IN FAMILY GROUPS
Sermon Preamble
-Why is it important to review the fundamental basics for successful going to the future rather than ignoring the basics and going directly to full speed into the future trying to advance with new practices beyond the basics? --Have you attempted to proceed to the thought that you were doing things right by doing more advanced practices without reviewing the basic essentials thinking that you have already mastered the basic essentials?
God inspired Micah to reflect the seriousness of the problem of judgement looming
-What positive character of God is being modeled when God in the court setting calls the mountains and hills as witnesses rather than directly attack the defendant people of Israel? Why is it important to call witnesses rather than directly attack the defendant?
God advances the case of basics and brings the people of Israel along in God’s court argument
-Why is it important to ask the defendant people of Israel what God has done for them rather than directly attack the defendant? How important is it to listen well?
In every way, God has kept up God’s part of the relationship in faithfulness to the people of Israel
-In what ways has God demonstrated God’s redemption and saving love for the people of Israel? How did God send Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help, not condemn? How did God intervene when King Balak tried to curse them? What is the case supporting God’s unfailing grace, mercy and kindness?
The people of Israel still tried to make a case for themselves by feigning ignorance of their disobedience
-In what circumstances, if any, have you feigned ignorance that there is a problem with your understanding of the basics, making it much more complicated than the basics of what God desires?
God’s basics, then and now are what God desires us to do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with God
-What are the basics set for forth in Micah 6:8 for what God expects from us today in your life?
Walking with God has communion with nature and companionship
-In walking with God, in what ways have you experienced the added joy of companionship and communion of being and doing together?
Throughout the Bible, the idea of walking is coupled with close fellowship with God in a meaningful relationship.
-In what ways is God’s desire that we walk with God as God walks with us? Consider the biblical examples of Enoch, Noah, and Moses in your response?
Humbly to walk with God is another basic requirement.
-What are the meanings of humble in your life of the basic requirement to walk with God?”
We go back to basics as we go forward with the invitation to remember what God desires
-What is the difference between ritual observances and the basics that flow from a love relationship?
Walking with God in a loving relationship is a priority
-In what ways do we walk with God in a loving relationship that has the same priority as other loving relationships?
Six simple practices to help us walk with God intentionally and mindfully
-Which one of the simple practices to help us walk with God intentionally and mindfully most resonate with you in your life? Why?
Happy New Year! We are starting a mini-series of messages titled, “Back to the Future.” To fully experience the future God has in store, it is always positive to go back to review the basics. This principle is illustrated by Vince Lombardi, who was Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers. His opening words on the first day of training camp in July 1961 was his famous quote, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” The players thought they knew what they were doing and already had the basics mastered. The players were ready to pick up where they left off with fresh energy and resolve, but Lombardi had everyone review the basics of football: throwing, catching, blocking, and tackling. But Lombardi knew that to get to where you want to go in the future, you often have to go back and begin again as you strengthen your foundation and focus on what is really important for the future bright with possibilities. The back to the basics strategy paid off. In the next seven years, the Green Bay Packers won five NFL Championships. We can easily get off track when we think we are doing all the right things. The bible in Micah 6:1-8 has a similar illustration of going back to review and embrace the basics to fully experience the future. God takes the people of Israel back to the basics of what God requires and desires. The basics in verse 8 are: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. As we walk humbly with God, doing what is right and seeking to love mercy will follow us as we become more like God. Humbly walking with God means not to walk proudly, but to be wise, intentional, thoughtful, deliberate, attentive, and cautious according to the Will and Way of God. Essential elements of walking with God are known as the Six S’s: 1 Spiritual Retreat (to be done monthly/yearly); 2 Sabbath (to be done weekly), 3 Scripture (to be done daily), 4 Soul Friendship (to be done daily/weekly), 5 Statio (to be done event by event), and 6 Selah (to be done moment by moment). We engage and include God in our daily activities so that God can guide us, shape us, and form us into the glorious future God has planned for each of us.
God inspired Micah to reflect the seriousness of the problem of judgement looming
“Listen to what the Lord is saying: ‘Stand up and state your case against me. Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints.’ And now, O mountains, listen to the Lord’s complaint! He has a case against his people. He will bring charges against Israel” (Micah 6:1-2). God calls the people to attention. Like a command for order in the court, God calls witnesses; the mountains and the hills hear the complaints of the people and the Lord. The court scene is a great way to restate God’s basics to the original hearers. The basic problem was that the people of Israel had not listened to the words and warnings about their disobedient ways. God took the people of Israel into an imaginary court of law with judgement looming on the horizon.
God advances the case of basics and brings the people of Israel along in God’s court argument
“‘O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me’” (Micah 6:3). For any lover of God, the immediate response is that God does nothing wrong. The basic, of a love relationship with God, is that us, not God, is the one messing up the relationship.
In every way, God has kept up God’s part of the relationship in faithfulness to the people of Israel
“‘4For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you. 5Don’t you remember my people, how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead? And remember your journey from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, when I, the Lord, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness.’” (Micah 6:4-5). God recites the ways God has kept up God’s part of the relationship. Just like God is with us, God was faithful in God’s loving kindness and grace. Even if the people of Israel did have an accusation or complaint against God, it would be overruled instantly. This scripture reminds them of all the things God had done, especially God’s faithfulness. With God’s unfailing grace, mercy, and kindness towards us, there is absolutely no case against God that can be made.
The people of Israel still tried to make a case for themselves by feigning ignorance of their disobedience
6” What can we bring to the Lord? Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearly calves? 7Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our first born children to pay for our sins?” (Micah 6:6-7). They pretend that they do not know how to please God. Should we bring you burnt offerings? Should we bow before the Lord with offerings of yearling calves? The truth is that the offerings were probably things they were already doing with the priests, but they were going through the motions, with no heart, soul, or love for God. In verse 7, they get extreme and sarcastic in offering thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of olive oil, and sacrificing first born children.
If this were a TV drama unfolding, the camera would zoom in on the defendant, the people of Israel. It is clear that the people of Israel don’t get it, don’t understand the basics of what God desires, or they don’t want to get the basics of what God desires. Either way, the people of Israel and God are not in agreement on the basics. God lets them know that judgement lies ahead in their future.
In response to their misguided defense, God reminds them God already did and what God already told them. God takes them back to the basics of what is required of them to fully experience their future with God.
God’s basics, then and now are what God desires us to do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with God
“Through Micah, we read, “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what God requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). They have no argument, and they cannot profess ignorance. These basics are what God expects in a committed relationship. It was true for the people of Israel, and it is also true for us today.
As we look toward the future with God in 2024, wherever we are in our life journey, it is always positive and necessary to go back to reexamine and strengthen our relationship with God based on what God requires. As set forth in Micah 6:8, God requires us to do what is right (some translations say to do justice). God also requires us to “love mercy” (some translations say to love kindness). God requires that we walk humbly with our God.
In this message, we will focus on walking humbly with God. As we walk with God, doing what is right and loving mercy will also follow because God is just and loving. We are becoming more like the character of God.
Walking with God has communion with nature and companionship
The walk is more pleasant if you walk with God. There is the added joy of companionship and communion. Humbly walking with God includes walking outside in nature. There’s beauty, movement, exploration and discovery. It can be a challenge if the walk is hard, but peace if the walk is a stroll. God has in mind the joy of being and doing together.
Throughout the Bible, the idea of walking is coupled with close fellowship with God in a meaningful relationship.
Walking with God is synonymous with being in a personal relationship with God in a mutual bond of commitment, faithfulness, and love. Whatever we are doing, wherever we are going, God’s desire is that we walk with God as God walks with us.
“Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). Enoch walked in close fellowship with God. His walk was so close that one day Enoch disappeared because God took him.
At the time of Noah, the Lord saw that “The wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). The world had gone to ‘hell in a handbasket.’ “Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God” (Genesis 6:9b).
One writer put it this way. “Enoch, Noah, and David did not just sit kneel or stand with God (the kind of actions we would often associate with God), but they were also in communion with God.
We also see this with God and Moses in Exodus 33. When Moses wants to know who God will send with him as he leads the people of Israel to the Promised Land, we read, “The Lord replied, ‘I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest – everything will be fine for you’ Then Moses said, ‘If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place’” (Exodus 33:14-15). The Hebrew word translated “go,” can also be accurately translated as “walk.” Replacing “go” with “walk” is what God requires, which requires in mutual intimacy in a committed relationship with God in all aspects of our lives.
Humbly to walk with God is another basic requirement.
The word humble is the opposite of being proud. The idea to walk humbly with God also includes much more such as to walk wisely, intentionally, thoughtfully, deliberately, attentively, and even cautiously according to the Will and Ways of God. Such a walk is humble because it puts the focus on God’s Will. Our will is secondary. Jesus made this clear as our model when Jesus declared, “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will” (John 6:38).
We go back to basics as we go forward with the invitation to remember what God desires
The people of Micah’s day did not get it. Do we get it today? Sometimes, people think they have done what God requires when they join a church, get baptized, take communion, give an offering, or pray over meals. There are all good things, but they are not the heart of what God is seeking. “The Lord has told you what is good and what God requires” (Micah 6:8b).
God is not interested in ritual observances if they do not flow out of a love relationship of walking with God. These rituals can include what we give God, what we sacrifice, or how altruistic or philanthropic we may be not flowing from a love relationship.
God’s requirements are positive and good because God is good. God’s requirements are good for us. These basic requirements are good for us; they are why we were made to walk in alignment with the divine. You were born to walk with God. As we walk with God, we will find what our souls are seeking and longing for: companionship, acceptance, affirmation, healing, peace, purpose, and direction. Jesus says, “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28). As we do, we will grow in trust and grow deeper in love with God and come to know how faithful God is to God’s promises. We serve a loving God who is a giver, but rightfully, God is also seeking a love relationship in return. God requires it.
Walking with God in a loving relationship is a priority
Developing our relationship with God must be our priority. Jesus was God in the flesh and our ultimate teacher through the Holy Spirit. We best connect with God and enjoy God in the ways that God has uniquely wired us. We do it by studying the ways of Jesus and scripture. Also we develop relationships with others by spending time together, learning from, and listening to each other.
Six simple practices to help us walk with God intentionally and mindfully
These simple practices were developed by Bill Gualtiere, co-founder of Soul-Shepherding Ministries. They provide an excellent framework for developing a rhythm of life for walking with God. These practices are back to some basics for going forward into the future. He calls them the six S’s.
The fist S is a spiritual retreat to be done monthly or yearly. It is time to be with God for rest, reading, prayer, journaling, worshipping, and exploring nature. The focus is time to be with God however you best connect with God.
The second S is the Sabbath to be done weekly. The Sabbath is a day of worship and rest with God, family, and friends. It does not have to be on Sunday. Those retired have some flexibility. Taking some Sabbath time is crucial for our bodies, minds, and spirits to recharge with God. The Sabbath is God’s gift for us to enjoy as we walk with God.
The third S is Scripture Reading to be done daily. God’s Word is God’s primary way of communicating with us. It is our guide for living, and it is the way we know God’s story and our story.
The fourth S is Soul Friendships to be done daily or weekly. These are the people in your life who are on this spiritual journey with you to pray with, confess to, and listen to. We need these friendships in our lives to balance us, encourage us, and help us recognize the movement of God. Since we were never meant to do this journey alone, we all need soul friends.
The fifth S is Statio to be done event by event. Statio means pausing after one thing before you start the next. Statio is intentionally creating in between time in order to pause and pray to be ready for whatever you are about to do next.
The sixth S is Selah to be done moment by moment. Selah is to pause, reflect, and pray, like a breath prayer in the moment on something that quickened in your Spirit. Selah is pausing a moment to engage with God as you walk together. The practice of Selah can help us go back to the basics for the future.
The six S’s provide a way of thinking about walking with God. They are done yearly, monthly, weekly, daily event by event, and moment by moment. They are the basics of being with God and being mindful of God’s presence. Engaging and including God in our daily activities so God can guide us, shape us, and form us into the glorious future God has planned for each of us. As we renew our vows through communion, we walk with God and with one another.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FOR USE IN FAMILY GROUPS
Sermon Preamble
-Why is it important to review the fundamental basics for successful going to the future rather than ignoring the basics and going directly to full speed into the future trying to advance with new practices beyond the basics? --Have you attempted to proceed to the thought that you were doing things right by doing more advanced practices without reviewing the basic essentials thinking that you have already mastered the basic essentials?
God inspired Micah to reflect the seriousness of the problem of judgement looming
-What positive character of God is being modeled when God in the court setting calls the mountains and hills as witnesses rather than directly attack the defendant people of Israel? Why is it important to call witnesses rather than directly attack the defendant?
God advances the case of basics and brings the people of Israel along in God’s court argument
-Why is it important to ask the defendant people of Israel what God has done for them rather than directly attack the defendant? How important is it to listen well?
In every way, God has kept up God’s part of the relationship in faithfulness to the people of Israel
-In what ways has God demonstrated God’s redemption and saving love for the people of Israel? How did God send Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help, not condemn? How did God intervene when King Balak tried to curse them? What is the case supporting God’s unfailing grace, mercy and kindness?
The people of Israel still tried to make a case for themselves by feigning ignorance of their disobedience
-In what circumstances, if any, have you feigned ignorance that there is a problem with your understanding of the basics, making it much more complicated than the basics of what God desires?
God’s basics, then and now are what God desires us to do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with God
-What are the basics set for forth in Micah 6:8 for what God expects from us today in your life?
Walking with God has communion with nature and companionship
-In walking with God, in what ways have you experienced the added joy of companionship and communion of being and doing together?
Throughout the Bible, the idea of walking is coupled with close fellowship with God in a meaningful relationship.
-In what ways is God’s desire that we walk with God as God walks with us? Consider the biblical examples of Enoch, Noah, and Moses in your response?
Humbly to walk with God is another basic requirement.
-What are the meanings of humble in your life of the basic requirement to walk with God?”
We go back to basics as we go forward with the invitation to remember what God desires
-What is the difference between ritual observances and the basics that flow from a love relationship?
Walking with God in a loving relationship is a priority
-In what ways do we walk with God in a loving relationship that has the same priority as other loving relationships?
Six simple practices to help us walk with God intentionally and mindfully
-Which one of the simple practices to help us walk with God intentionally and mindfully most resonate with you in your life? Why?
Posted in Back to the Future
Posted in Back to the basics, back to the future, walk with God, loving relationship
Posted in Back to the basics, back to the future, walk with God, loving relationship
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March
April
2023
January
February
March
May
June
November
2022
April
May
Finding God in Our Feelings: Facing Shame (Lite)Finding God in our Feelings: Facing Shame (Expanded)Finding God In Our Feelings: Facing Grief (Expanded)Finding God in our Feelings: Facing Anger & What lies beneathFinding God in Our Feelings - Facing LonelinessFinding God in Our Feelings - Embracing JoyFinding God in Our Feelings - Embracing Joy (Lite)
June
July
Courageous Conversations - By the BookCourageous Conversations: Racial Reconciliation (Lite)Courageous Conversations - Racial Reconciliation- ExpandedCourageous Conversations - Dear God, Are you Pro-life or Pro-choice? (Expanded)Courageous Conversations - Love Comes First (Expanded)Courageous Conversations: Love Comes First (Lite)
September
October
November
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