Christ, the fulfillment.

Maryann Adams

Thanks, Marcus, for your encouraging words! And, Ross so appreciates you and the other guys in the Thursday morning group!

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Mary Ann. Love your reference to A Christmas Carol. It’s one of my favorites. A more recent version is also enjoyable. Bill Murray is the head of a TV network that is trying to “own” Christmas Eve with their Christmas special. He’s got a lot of Ebenezer in him. It’s a good watch with a good ending. Also love this from you- “Bethlehem means house of bread. Ephrathah means fruitful.” A friend says, “The bread of life is from the house of bread”. And another - it is from Him that we bear fruit, (John 15:5). Q1. Love this. Will do. Q2. Who rules me? Well…the battle in the spiritual realm is ongoing, (Ephesians 6:10-20). I know who and whose I am - and that is my protection and the source of the Ful Armor of God that I need. Q3. Added to memory verse list. Q4. I have full and completely trusted Jesus. I tried everything else and came up empty every single time.

Hugh Stephenson

There are 46 Presidents of the US. In your lifetime and awareness, who is your favorite one and your least favorite one? How about in all of US history? What about them makes them your favorite? For the least favorite, what about them makes them least favorite? As favorites many will pick Washington and/or Lincoln. I’d agree. To no small degree it seems that both of those men lived out their deep faith in God. Their walk, talk, and policies reflected it. Hold that thought for just a minute- I have a number of friends that will criticize “Evangelicals” on a regular basis. When I ask them why, they will usually reference some form of hypocrisy or some inflammatory statement. If I can keep them engaged, I’ll ask them what they think is the portion of US Citizens that are really Christ followers. Usually the answer is anywhere from 10% to 25%. Then I point out the Barna 2020 figures quoted in the 2023 report. https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CRC_AWVI2023_Release1.pdf At the risk of taking some license…I’d summarize and say that the 2020 report says that about 6% of the people surveyed held a Biblical worldview. In 2023 it was down to 4%

Hugh Stephenson

So all this begs a question- if a person says that a faithful Presidential and personal life is what attracts them to Washington and Lincoln then what was behind their votes in previous elections? My conclusion is that most of us see that there is no one that is really close so we pick the least worst. Having followed elections since I was a teenager, I can see that. But Micah 5:2-5 is different. Micah points me to a leader who is not just a great leader but who is the perfect leader. And not only that but a leader who “whose coming forth is from of old, “. In other words, who has existed eternally; “from ancient days”. He wasn’t from a wealthy and well-regarded family. He didn’t graduate from a great prep school in a large town. He doesn’t have an Ivy League degree. Even so, despite virtually no one “buying in”, he is the greatest leader ever. Here is a link to Amazon with a few titles on Jesus’s leadership style. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+leadership+style+of+jesus+by+michael+youssef&crid=3N89A8F7P5PAD&sprefix=leadership+style+of+jesus%2Caps%2C155&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_5_25 To close out, in those conversations with those friends critical of Evangelicals, I tell them to read the 4 gospels and compare a person’s life to Jesus. That’s how you’ll know whether or not they might be a true Christ follower. If your answer is yes, you should consider voting for him/her. Until then, I’m guessing we’ll have more of the same for our leaders until we demand something better. GQs on Micah https://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Micah.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Micah-in-the-Bible.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Micah-5-2-Messianic.html

greg jones

Great dive this morning never really thought about Jesus in the light of a small town hero. There is a lot going on in the 5th chapter of Micah. And I really think the NT writers expected informed readers to draw upon some things we may miss today. 1. But you, O Bethlehem Eph′rathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.-That’s Jesus check 2. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in travail has brought forth; then the rest of his brethren shall return to the people of Israel.-That is uniquely prophetic to Israelite history so we might ask, what would the first century Judaea/Jewish vision of this prophecy of Israelite return look like in their day? 3. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.-A lot ways they could have thought about that. 4. And this shall be peace, when the Assyrian comes into our land and treads upon our soil, that we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men; they shall rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword; and they shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our border.-Whoever the disciple Simon the Zealot was that is mentioned in Matthew’s gospel, that’s probably what he was thinking when he signed on. It could have been if you’re reading Micah 5 in the first century and are a follower of Jesus the big deal isn’t he was born in Bethlehem and it was predicted. The big deal about Jesus was he was crucified and raised from death. So if that is true about him what do we focus on in scripture. In that case when the reader reads Micah 5:8-15 he sees some things that have been fulfilled And in that day, says the Lord,  I will cut off your horses from among you  and will destroy your chariots. I will cut off sorceries from your hand,  and you shall have no more soothsayers. I will root out your Ashe′rim from among you. These kinds of things are being seen. Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,  and all your enemies shall be cut off. Nationalistic self rule, especially after the fall of the temple and the expulsion of the Jewish population from Jerusalem changed that view of prophecies for the followers of Jesus. It is in that environment that the God given idea of servant leadership is able to develop. When Micah is active as a prophet there are still kings in the line of David ruling. Now it’s been 500 years since a Davidic king has ruled over God’s people and God’s land. Micah envisions that kind of rule the NT writers are changing the OT narrative. And it is the death and resurrection of Jesus that is causing them to rewrite the view. One thing that they don’t rewrite is the expectation that God’s people be a blessing to their world. There comes a great commission with the life and ministry of Jesus. The commission didn’t replace the two greatest commandments.

Michael Scaman

A Haiku : Title: A promise for a particular Bethlehem Bethlehem whispers, Clans of Judah gaze in awe, Ruler, ancient days. (assisted by chatGPT)

Sue Bohlin

I really enjoyed your small-town take in your devo, Matt! Thank you! My takeaway from the Micah passage was a new insight from Dr. Constable's observation about the prophesied ruler in Israel, "whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days": "This ruler must be divine since He had been conducting activities on Yahweh’s behalf from long ago, even eternity past (literally, 'days of immeasurable time') . . . This messianic prophecy not only gives the birthplace of Messiah, and thus assures His humanity, but it also asserts His deity. No mere human could be said to have been carrying out the will of Yahweh eternally." Over the years I've read lots of things that support the idea that Jesus is God, but this one is new to me. I LOVE learning new things, especially about God!

Amy Lowther

1. I can display Jesus in life by initiating conversations with others, asking how their day is, helping them when possible with things they need. I can also display Jesus in life by thanking people for positive efforts they put in my life. 2. One thing I do to be closer to Jesus is pardon myself from chaos during the day (if it occurs), for a few moments, to pull myself together and ensure I am using good values. One thing I can stop doing to be closer to Jesus is stop working hours I don’t want or need. 3. I feel Jesus and I will meet eventually and discuss life. Matt - Thank you for sharing your ideas. You made a great point in saying, “We are living in a time when God is with us everywhere and, in turn, we should glorify Him always until He is back.” It is truly great and interesting God is with us EVERYWHERE.

william (Bill) smith

Matt I really enjoyed your devotional. I could relate to your small town analogy. Great. Paint the water tower, parades, diner lunch item …all tributes to our small town hero. Some hero’s leave and never come back, our hero, our Savior is definitely coming back! Paint the town, boldly tell the story of His return. I can’t wait! Great devotional. Bill