Photograph by Eradio Valverde of Nellie Garcia, Caleb Eradio Garcia, and Liam Carlos Vasquez.
Staying Connected to God Blesses Us
From Micah 1: 1 Hear what the Lord says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. 2 Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the Lord has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. 3 "O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me! 4 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. 5 O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the Lord." 6 "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? 7 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?" 8 He has told you, O mortal, 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?
We tend to study more of John Wesley than his younger brother Charles. We know a little about Charles that he was a hymn writer and that he tried to be the conscience of his older brother. One of the things we should know is that we have 7,000 hymns written by him because he was connected to God. Ellsworth Kalas, in an article he wrote says these hymn came "Because his should was full to overflowing. Not that every day was a shouting victory, bu that every day was God-possessed. Good weather or bad, welcoming crowds or well-aimed rotten eggs and overripe fruit, always there was a song." * The prophetic word of the prophet Micah urges that too. Micah's word argues that to be connected to God to overflowing would also produce a life that seeks justice, to love and show loving kindness, and seek to walk humbly with our God.
Micah reminds his people of God's frustration with their failings, and as a response the people ask what they can do to be made right with God and his response is to live the life mentioned above.
Staying connected with God will bless us. It will also bless others. They will see in us that which the world needs, people who seek to exalt God and do the things of God rather than the desires of humanity.
Kalas goes on to say that Wesley found his connection to God through Scripture. Both he and his older brother loved the Word of God. They took the Bible everywhere and checked it as often as we check our phone for texts, Facebook updates and any tweets we may have overlooked. They knew as do you that any scripture that we have read before if read again will reveal a new thing that we have not thought of or been blessed by. The two also maintained a close relationship with Jesus Christ through their prayer life. Both had prayer closets and not a decision made, a sermon preached, or a journey taken without deep prayer and conversation with their Lord. If we do the same, we may find ourselves to overflowing in God-things. Wouldn't that be a blessing to others?
PRAYER: Loving God, we seek to walk humbly with You. Help me to deepen my relationship with You and to pray more often and deeply. Help me to have a better attitude towards Bible study; that I may know that I do not know all things nor read all things that You have for me. Guide me to God-overflowing. This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
